Riptide
by Ao Yoake
Summary: Just a random story plot that's been tantalizing my brain for the past week or so. A person is attacked on a beach and killed, and what's with all the mystery surrounding Zuko? Could he possibly be the culprit of all of this? (WARNING: May contain shounen-ai.)
1. Chapter 1

The scene opens upon a chase. Loud pants are heard from the boy being chased as he strains himself to run faster. His pursuer is quite obviously letting him think he is escaping, but is perfectly capable of catching him at any time he chooses. The pursuer, seemingly becoming bored of the chase, speeds up and makes a swipe with a clawed hand at the boy's right ankle. The boy falls and is temporarily stunned. His ankle is singing with a throbbing agony as he gazes fearfully up at his attacker. The attacker- a terrifyingly beastly figure of a man- smirks down at the boy. Alas, the chase had to come to a close.

"Got you," the beast chuckled right before the death blow.

The boy dully noted that though the attack on his ankle had been utter agony, the death blow was devoid of pain, despite the clawed hand through his narrow chest. He chalked it up to intense shock as his consciousness slowly faded. The last thing the boy saw as his eyes closed were amber eyes gazing down at him with an unnamed emotion filling them.

* * *

Aang shot up from his pillow with a breathy gasp. He grabbed at his chest in a panic, trying to figure out whether the night before had been a dream or not. Nothing. His body was unscathed. Of course, it was! There's no way he could survive something like that. As Aang stood from his bed, a sharp pain made itself known in his right ankle, shooting up all the way through his leg- which caused it to give out. He collapsed to his hands and knees and pulled his pajama pant leg up to see his ankle was bruised on the back and slightly swollen.

Or had it been a dream...?

He shakily stood on his left foot and used the wall to support his weight on his way down the stairs. Upon entering the kitchen, he found a sticky note on the fridge from his parents claiming they were out on yet another vacation. He sighed and dropped the note into the trash bin by the fridge. Aang heavily slumped down into a seat at the kitchen table. He decided to turn on the small radio at the center of the kitchen table as he thought things over.

As the radio hummed to life, he caught the tail-end of a news report from the night before. From what he gathered, a boy was mutilated beyond recognition overnight and police were investigating for possible culprits. He snorted. Like they'd ever find a monster who could do _that_. He shuddered.

_What if that dream was somehow real?_

Aang stood from his seat, temporarily forgetting about his ankle. He collapsed again with a slight wince. His eyes trailed back to the handicap. He couldn't imagine how he could have possibly acquired such an odd wound.

Aang carefully and steadily made his way back up the stairs to get dressed for school. He approached his bathroom mirror, using it to look himself over. Previously, he'd had his head shaved bald due to ROTC, which his parents had forced him into participating in. Alas, the military prep program was not Aang's style at all, and against their wishes, he ceased his participation in the program.

That had been two months prior, and since then his dark hair had grown to a reasonable two and a half inches of length. His parents, of course, were furious about his negligence to bend to their will, but he'd made it perfectly clear that he would be his own person from then on out.

Thus, his parents had decided to go on their series of grand and otherwise risqué vacations, 'accidentally' leaving Aang behind every time.

He was resigned to this fact and no longer bothered with being upset at them for it. Anything that kept them off his back was most likely a good thing. Aang new better than to look a gift horse in the mouth, lest he get bitten by the spears within.

Speculation and memories aside, Aang quickly splashed some cold water on his face and used a cream colored towel to pat his face dry. He didn't bother to brush his unruly locks of hair- it was simply too much trouble that early in the morning.

Again, using the wall to support himself, Aang limped to his bedroom. He slipped into a pair of plain khaki slacks- one of the many remnants of his parents' reign over his life- a plain white tee, a casual gray pullover, and some red converse shoes- the shoes being one of the few luxuries he'd acquired over the thirteen strenuous years of his life.

After slinging his khaki messenger bag (his parents believed that matching his clothing and accessories in such an embarrassing manner would somehow make him look more sophisticated and build character), he was set to go. He steeled himself to ignore the pain in his ankle as he walked down the stairs and out the door.

Once he got to the bus-stop, he was able to relax and take pressure off his right ankle. Luckily, there was a bench at the stop, so he was able to sit there rather than stand on one foot for whatever unimaginable amount of time until the bus got there. He reclined into the back of the bench with his messenger bag resting against his thigh and his right foot stretched out so as to keep strain off it. After a while, his fellow bus riders began to file in to the bus-stop area.

One person who arrived at the stop, a taller girl whom he soon found out to be Katara, was relentless on trying to strike up a conversation with him. On any other day, Aang certainly would have invited that particular behavior, but on this day he had to put way too much concentration into ignoring his ankle to actually focus on conversation with anyone. A slightly older looking boy, whom Aang pegged as Katara's older brother based on the strong resemblance, pulled her away from Aang and told her to give him space. He sighed, inviting the solitude for now.

Soon after, the bus pulled in to the stop, jerking to the stop with a long screech of the wheels. Aang had grown accustomed to the reckless driving style that often accompanied a bus driver, and so he was not alarmed by this. He hid his limp as well as he could, opting to walk behind everyone else onto the bus. The bus driver eyed him with a peculiar expression, but appeared to disregard whatever thought passed through his mind when he turned his attention back toward the windshield. As per custom of bus drivers, the man started driving again before Aang could even find an empty seat.

He was propelled forward, and uncomfortably landed on his right foot, and he could have sworn he'd heard a crack as he did so. Nobody else seemed to hear it, so he played it off as a trick of the mind. He took the only empty seat he could find, nestled away in the back corner of the bus. Soon, he began to doze off with the side of his face resting against the cool glass of the bus window.

He only awoke once more when he felt something crash against his left side- the side which was toward the bus isle. Aang cracked open one eye, just barely, and saw a very tall looking boy sitting down beside him. The boy's skin tone was a pale creamy color, and he sported shaggy shoulder length raven hair. The obviously older boy was clad in black cargo pants and a red blazer that resembled a trench coat in length.

Aang had to admit that the boy was intimidating, especially when he gazed down and eyed the scuffed black combat boots under the cargo pants, but he nonetheless caught the boy's attention by clearing his throat. The raven haired teen turned a menacing glare on Aang, and Aang visibly shrunk farther into the seat than he'd been before. The boy's eyes were a blazing amber that left him in a quick flashback of his dream the night before.

"Uh..." Aang murmured. "Um, I was just going to say that you're kind of crushing me."

The boy seemed to snap to attention as he looked Aang up and down, then scooted away just a bit. His brows furrowed some, "Sorry," he replied, "I didn't see you there. You must be new."

He nodded solemnly, "My name's Aang. My father's in the military, so we get moved around a lot. I just transferred in over spring break."

The older teen nodded at this, but it was evident that he wasn't interested in Aang's family history. He pulled a hand out for Aang to shake, "Zuko," he offered, and Aang shook his hand before he continued, "I'm a junior here at Republic high school. You?"

"I'm a freshman," Aang answered, turning his eyes back toward the window to his right. He couldn't bare to look at Zuko's eyes after the dream he'd had. He knew it was biased of him to judge Zuko by something as silly and fickle as a dream, but he couldn't help it. Zuko also seemed completely content to sit in silence.

He didn't doze off for long, though, for he then became aware of a conversation on just the other side of the bus isle. A girl was speaking to another girl in a not-so-hushed tone. She asked the other, "Have you heard about that murder over at the beach?"

"Yeah," the other replied, also not very good at keeping quiet.

"Well," the girl continued, "my older sis is the one who discovered the body there. The police have been keeping her pegged since she's technically a witness, and she told me that the victim was probably chased by someone... or something... His right ankle was totaled! Whatever did that had to have been really strong, and then it somehow managed to break right through the man's rib cage and rip his heart out! Can you believe it?! There's a monster on the loose, I tell you!"

Aang shivered as he listened to this entire exchange. Zuko, who'd also been listening to them glared at them, "Don't you two girls know how to keep it down? Some kids on this bus are trying to take a nap," he jabbed a thumb toward Aang (to Aang's own shock) as an indication to said napping kids.

Both girls looked like deer in a headlight as their eyes grew wide and they gaped at him until the girl with the older sister finally said, "Sorry, Zuko! It won't happen again, we promise!"

They were quiet for a while until the other girl leaned over the back of the seat and whispered into her ear, "Oh. My. _God._ That's _the _Zuko Agni! We are so lucky we're girls! I heard about this one time he got angry at a guy for disturbing his sleep, and he put the guy in the hospital!"

"_Quiet_, I said," Zuko growled at the two. This time, they completely shut up. Evidently, this Zuko was a force to be reckoned with. Aang finally tried to fall into another blissful unconsciousness, this time successful for the remaining duration of the bus ride.

He was awakened by Zuko's hand on his shoulder, a bit vigorously shaking him awake. As Aang blearily stared up at the teen, Zuko simply muttered, "We're here."

He turned his head back toward the window to see that Zuko was indeed correct. The school was a modest size, built with red brick and deep pine green roofing. If the size was any indication, this would be one of the smaller schools Aang would be attending.

Aang braced himself against the bus wall as Zuko stood up and stepped into the isle. The boy sidled out into the isle behind Zuko, but just as he was about to take his first real step on his right foot, it gave out yet again. He fell into Zuko's back with a small, "Oof!"

Zuko sharply turned with a scowl on his face, "Watch it," he snapped, grabbing a fistful of Aang's blazer and pulling him up to stand back on his feet.

Aang grit his teeth together to hold back the whimper as so much pressure was put on his ankle, sending more sharp pains up his leg. This didn't go unnoticed by Zuko, who quickly released him, his gaze falling upon Aang's right foot.

"You okay?" Zuko asked with a very small hint of concern in the undertone of his voice.

"What do you care?" Aang grumbled, offended by the earlier display of aggression. He shouldered past Zuko, intent on keep all his dignity and not showing the fact that he really just wanted to curl into a ball and cry his agony. Zuko watch as he went, ruffled by the sudden snappiness of the boy.

The teen rubbed a hand through his hair, mussing it up, then looked down to see that Aang had forgotten his messenger bag. _Great_. He decided to grab it so that he could return the bag to the boy.


	2. Chapter 2

**I just felt like clarifying, for no reason in particular, that a large portion of this story is inspired by my recent escapades at the beach. I was trying to think of a name when I remembered that there's an undercurrent in ocean waves that pulls you out to sea called a 'riptide', and I thought, "Hey, that would be a pretty cool name!" It doesn't really have an intensely important meaning beyond that. ^^;**

**So, yeah, I'm sitting here with a sunburn from hell writing this, because if I try to do anything else it hurts too much. XD**

**Well, without further ado- chapter 2! (Hey, that rhymed!) **

* * *

Aang was making a slow but steady pace toward his destination when he realized he had two problems- one, he had no idea where any of his classes were, and two, he didn't have his messenger bag on him. He could have sworn he had it with him earlier, but looking back on his morning, he couldn't recall whether he'd grabbed it before he caught the bus or not. Although, if he had left it on the bus, it was most likely gone now. _Great!_

Just as Aang was trying to decide what course of action he was going to take, he saw a familiar head of shaggy black hair in the approaching crowd behind him in the hallway. He made an attempt to rush farther forward, but instead managed to trip for the umpteenth time over his ankle, which he was starting to have the sneaking suspicion was broken. He fell into the back of a hulking student who honestly didn't look young enough to be a student, and was thus tossed off to the side. Luckily, he was able to catch himself on the corner of a locker, but then it appeared his luck had run out when another student tripped over his right ankle. (Yeah, what _wonderful _luck Aang had!)

They both ended up falling onto the floor, and after an angrily snapped, "Hey, watch it," the kid was gone.

This exchange was just long enough for Zuko to catch up to Aang, and he did take advantage of it. He aggressively shoved aside some of the students that had been in his way, and sent a glare toward the students who'd been walking behind him, mostly for effect. Aang could tell that the display was blatantly unnecessary, as the students had already been giving him a pretty wide berth prior to it.

Zuko approached Aang and offered him a hand to help him up, "Hey, you left your messenger bag on the bus," he indicated the bag in his hands, then asked, "you okay?"

Aang silently contemplated taking his bag and making a run for it, but after testing his right foot, that was obviously not happening. Begrudgingly, he took the hand that was offered to him, and Zuko pulled him up. He really took a blow to his pride when he actually ended up having to lean on Zuko to stand. For the second time that day, Aang noticed Zuko eyeing his wounded ankle.

"I'm taking you to the school nurse," he stated with finality- no room for backtalk. Then, the bell dismissing everyone to class rang.

So much for getting to class on time. He may as well procrastinate since the penalty remained the same no matter how much class he missed.

"Fine," the shorter boy muttered.

The junior smirked, "I knew you'd see it my way," and with that, he slung Aang over his shoulder in one swift motion, securing him with a hand on his mid-back.

Aang banged the sides of his fists on Zuko's back as Zuko started walking down the hall, "Hey! I can walk on my own!"

"You'll do no such thing," the teen retorted, "your ankle is wounded, and it's probably a hairline fracture _at best_."

"How did you-"

"Know? You're limping, and even when you're standing still, you favor your left foot rather than the right," he interrupted, "in fact, it's so obvious that I'd be ashamed if I didn't notice. The fact that I'm the only one who _did_ is simply pitiful."

Aang pouted, although Zuko couldn't see, "It was really that obvious?"

"Yes," he replied, deadpan, "now, this is the nurse's office." he indicated the monotonous white room which was bare, save for the utmost of necessities.

The teen stepped inside and plopped Aang down on the surprisingly soft gurney. He'd expected it to be hard and stiff, but he'd been mistaken in the assumption.

"I see you've got another patient for me," said the voice of a woman from the doorway. They both looked up to see a woman with tan skin, long brown locks, and blue eyes. Aang dully noted that she greatly resembled the girl he'd met this morning, Katara. She smiled warmly at Aang, but spoke with slight venom to Zuko as she did, "I should hope this one is not _your_ doing?"

Aang noticed a visible shiver run down Zuko's spine, "N-no, Kya, this one isn't my doing. This is Aang," he introduced the boy quickly as he stepped out of the way.

The woman, now known as Kya, stepped forward and looked Aang over. She gave a sharp look toward Zuko, "And what are you thinking is wrong with him?"

"His right ankle is broken."

She grabbed his right ankle, somehow carefully enough not to cause any harm, "Is that so?"

After a bit of examining, she told Zuko and Aang, "I believe it's a hairline fracture, but without proper equipment, I can't be sure. Aang, can your parents come pick you up?"

Aang averted his eyes, "They're away from home."

"What about any other relatives? Designated guardians?" she asked.

Aang merely shook his head.

Kya frowned, "Well... since this is an emergency, I'll leave you in Zuko's care. I'm permitting him to escort you to the emergency room at the hospital, and only there."

The boy shrunk away at the mention of Zuko being in charge of him, and worse yet, going to a hospital. It appeared, though, that there was no getting around it.

"What are you sitting around here for?" the school nurse demanded. "Get walking!"

* * *

"Would you put me down already?!" Aang complained over Zuko's shoulder. "This is embarrassing!"

Zuko rolled his amber eyes, "Deal with it. Besides, we're almost there anyway, and quit banging your fists on my back."

He huffed in frustration and simply allowed himself to be carried the rest of the way to the emergency room. Upon arriving, there was an unimaginably long wait to see a doctor, as per usual, especially since Aang wasn't visibly bleeding to death or dying of a heart attack.

When they did see the doctor, the doctor confirmed what both Zuko and the school nurse had evidently already known with a series of unnecessary (and not to mention expensive) tests. After the boy was fixed up with a splint and a single crutch, he and Zuko were shooed out into a lobby.

As Aang was told the bill for his broken ankle, he paled, "Two-thousand dollars?! I don't have that kind of money!" he cried.

"Well, sir, if you can't pay it, we've got a plan you can work with us," the desk lady offered.

"That won't be necessary," Zuko said before Aang could reply. He fished through his pocket and withdrew a card from it, slamming it down on the counter in front of the lady, "Will this do?"

"Yes, we certainly do accept debit cards," the lady said as she retrieved his debit card, examining it, "just let me run it through our system, then you can be on your way."

Zuko nodded and waited patiently for her to finish. Aang was still floundering beside him, flabbergasted by the fact that a guy he'd just met was paying such an extremely expensive bill as if it was nothing.

"Relax," Zuko chuckled, "I've got nothing better to spend my money on. May as well spend it on you."

He wasn't sure whether he wanted to feel offended or pleased by this. In the end, he just nodded and allowed his mind to wander. They stood in silence until the woman handed Zuko back his debit card, then also gave him two notes to excuse his and Aang's absence at school.

"Remember, you can't walk on that foot for six to eight weeks," the desk lady said before they left.

* * *

Though Aang had a crutch to help him walk now, that really didn't make him walk any faster. He wasn't accustomed to walking with a crutch, and so it was a very slow walk to his house. He was a little nervous to bring anyone into his home, though it seemed rude to simply leave Zuko outside. He invited the older high schooler into his home. Zuko tried to turn him down, but against Aang's better judgement, he insisted.

The teen cautiously entered Aang's humble abode (the word humble being sarcastic, as his home was by no means humble). He looked around, as if looking for something, then finally asked, "Where are your parents?"

"They're away," Aang murmured as he walked into the kitchen.

Zuko averted his eyes in embarrassment, remembering that Aang had already mentioned this in the school nurse's office. He really did need to pay more attention. He noticed Aang was leaving him behind, so he hurried after him.

"Would you like something to drink?" Aang asked, pulling a glass for himself out of a cupboard.

"Have any tea?" he asked.

"Sure," Aang said as he grabbed a tea cup from the cupboard, "all we have right now is earl gray and jasmine, though. You fine with that?"

"Yeah," Zuko said, "jasmine's good."

Aang momentarily stopped what he was doing and looked back at Zuko. Eventually, he said, "Good."

While the teen was put off by this response, he figured it was nothing. After he'd put together the beverages, Aang handed Zuko his tea and led him up the stairs to his bedroom. Aang sat on his bed, but Zuko awkwardly stood just within the entrance of his bedroom.

"It's okay for you to sit on my bed," Aang offered, "really."

"I prefer to stand," he quipped.

Aang shrugged as he took a sip of his apple juice, "Suit yourself," he took another sip and said, "my offer still remains."

For a moment, they stood in an unpleasant silence with neither boy knowing quite what he wanted to say. Eventually, it seemed to have bothered Zuko too much.

"So..." he trailed off, trying to think of something intellectual to say, "this is your bedroom...?"

Zuko wanted to smack himself in the forehead, it was so idiotic.

_Of course, this is his bedroom!_

Aang nodded, "Yeah. Been here for a month now. Today was supposed to be my first day of school here in Republic City, but as you can see, that didn't go as planned."

"There's always tomorrow."

Aang grew quiet for a moment, then, "What about you?"

"Eh?" Zuko was put off by the question.

"Lived here long?"

"Most of my life," he affirmed, "are you on your own here often?"

"Ever since two months ago," Aang replied, averting his eyes to the window overlooking his bed.

Zuko was curious, "What happened two months ago?"

"I started rebelling against my parents," he said simply.

This caused another silence.

"Hey, you want to go to the beach?" Zuko asked.

Aang fixed him with a questioning glance.

"Relax, it's not like I'm going to throw you into the ocean. I just wanted to show you something. It seems a little stuffy for you here," he explained.

Aang smiled, "I think I'd like that."


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay**,** so this is chapter 3. :D Yay! I wonder if I'm doing okay so far? Seriously, I get so self-conscious about these things, so if anybody thinks a character is OOC, feel free to be as brutal as you care to be about it. If it's within my ability to fix it, I'll do so, unless the plot demands that the character be OOC. Which is usually not the case.**

**(I'm really worried that I'm not making Aang carefree and happy enough. Zuko's meh. He's always had a stick up a place where the sun doesn't shine, but hey, that's why we like him. ;D )**

* * *

They'd been silently walking along the outskirts of the beach for a while, the part where the grass became sand. Aang had quickly found that sand was not good terrain for a crutch, so they were forced to distance themselves from it for his sake. Zuko would point things out to him every once in a while as they walked. He explained that while the beach was kind of barren on this particular day, it became much more crowded on weekends, not to mention it was a bit late in the day. The trip to the emergency room took a large chunk out of their day, admittedly.

They stopped walking when they reached a small cove at the farthest edge of the beach. It was a dark and damp little place, yet somehow it felt a little inviting to Aang. Zuko stepped inside and gestured for him to follow. The boy did so and gaped around in awe at the beauty of the cave.

"I like to hang out here sometimes," the older teen murmured, toying with a shell he'd picked up off the cave floor, "it helps me think."

"I can understand why," Aang said, still quite enthralled with how beautiful it was inside. He loved the way the light of the setting sun bounced off the waves into the cave, rippling across the stone walls. The overall sight was magnificent.

"I want you to have this," Zuko told Aang, handing him the shell he'd been toying with. Aang looked down at the shell to see that it was a conch with a cream color, and swirled crimson designs on it. Upon further examining the conch, he noticed the tip of the conch was gone- broken off, perhaps. Zuko gestured to it, "it's a conch shell. I want you to take it, as a token of our friendship," he then pointed to the broken tip, "if you blow this, it will make a really loud sound. There's a lot of danger out on this beach, like that murder that happened last night."

Aang had almost forgotten about that. He twisted and turned the conch in his hands, "Are you saying you want me to blow on this conch if I'm in trouble?"

"Well, it seems like a better plan than just running or fending for yourself," the teen chuckled, "besides, a lot of beach goers have one. Hold on to it, just to be safe. It might come in handy some day."

"Why are you so kind to me?" Aang asked him, recalling how he acted toward most of the other students at school. He didn't understand why he was the exception to the rule.

Zuko seemed to consider the question momentarily, "There's just something about you that seems familiar. Besides, it's been five years since we've seen a new face in Republic."

That certainly was putting things into perspective. What Aang didn't understand was how he could be familiar and be a new face at the same time. Maybe he was just looking into things too much.

"Oh, also," Zuko said, "if you're on this beach and something comes out of the ocean to chase you, hide in this cove."

Aang simply looked at Zuko, trying to gauge whether he was serious. Then again, he'd had a pretty realistic dream about being murdered on the beach, which had turned out to be half true that morning.

_ Who am I to judge?_

"Don't look at me like that," Zuko muttered, "this cove is probably the safest place on the beach."

"Right," Aang rolled his eyes, "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Let's hope that isn't soon."

* * *

Aang lay, awake, in his bed. It was now midnight, and he'd gotten not even a wink of sleep. He was still thinking back on that conversation with the teen he'd only just met. What did it mean? What did he mean?

"Ugh," Aang grumbled, "why does he have to be so complicated?"

He couldn't decide what to think about the guy. He'd mostly been pretty nice to him, but there was also that one incident on the bus when Aang bumped into him and he'd snapped like that. Aang couldn't imagine what could suddenly cause such a change of attitude when Zuko had been perfectly fine with making physical contact before and after the incident. Was there something wrong with his back?

Then, his thoughts wandered to the cove, and the conch. Aang rolled his head to the side to see the dual colored conch sitting where he'd left it on his bedside nightstand. It was even more beautiful to look at than the cove. Thinking about the conch made him think of Zuko once more. Such a strange fellow.

Aang pulled his pillow over his face, and said with a muffled voice, "I'm never going to get sleep like this..."

* * *

The next morning on the bus was similar to the first, save for the fact that Aang now had an annoying crutch to tote around. He watched as Zuko got onto the bus and came back to the seat where he was sitting, careful not to slam into him like yesterday.

"You don't look so good," Zuko said humorously, but with a small touch of concern, "rough night?"

"Couldn't sleep," the boy replied simply.

The older teen nodded. For the most part, the bus ride was uneventful and quiet. Neither boy had anything to say, nor did either of the two wish to start a conversation up. It was a mostly comfortable silence, but just a little awkward.

Just like yesterday, Zuko had to indicate the fact that they'd arrived at school to Aang. Luckily for Aang, as Zuko had told him, Principal Bumi was having one of his more lucid days. Zuko spoke (not so) highly of him on the way to the aged principal's office.

"The old coot barely even makes sense," Zuko ranted, "I mean, come on! He's so old, he may as well be in a nursing home, or even a mental institute! You know, there are rumors going around that he's so old he's gone senile, but I bet they're true."

Curious about Zuko's admonishments during his rant, Aang asked, "How old is Principal Bumi, exactly?"

As they continued to walk, Zuko gave a shrug, "Eh. No one knows. Probably over a hundred."

Admittedly, Aang didn't believe his estimation- until they entered the principal's office, that is. Upon entering the room, he laid eyes on a very old looking man, with scraggly white hair sticking out in every direction possible, hunched over his desk. His frailty was quite obvious. Although, Aang amended that conclusion when the old man leaped onto his desk (in one bound, Aang might have added).

"Oh, another customer!" the very old looking principal shouted. "Will it be tea today, or are you looking for our more magical wares?!"

A little more than a bit put off, Aang's eyes darted to his left to gauge Zuko's reaction. It seemed, based on the way the older boy's face fell into a scowl, that this behavior, while unusual, was all to common in the principal.

With a displeased grunt, the teen explained, "No, Bumi, this is our _new student__,_ Aang. He just transferred in over spring break. He needs his schedule, remember?"

The old man's eyes crossed in concentration as he held a forefinger to his lower lip, "Hmmm," he muttered, his eyes trailing to Aang, then Zuko, then Aang, then to the window to his right, "spring break, spring break... was there a new student...? No, no... hmm... Ah!" he continued to mutter before exclaiming with finality, "I remember! He's the kid from Omashu that wanted to join the chemistry club!"

Aang's eyes fell on Zuko once more in question, hoping for any indication that he'd had any better understanding of what Bumi was talking about. Zuko slapped a palm to his forehead with a sigh.

"No, Bumi," Zuko said, trying to correct him, "that was Haru. He transferred in two years ago."

"Is that so?" Bumi asked, his triumphant smile wilting. "I could have sworn that was the kid..."

Aang stepped forward, "I'm transferring here from a small town near the Southern Air Temple," he offered, "I'm Aang."

He only realized that he'd introduced himself after Zuko had already done it for him after the fact. Aang opted to disregard it, and hoped that since Bumi was pretty much gone in his old age that he wouldn't notice Aang's err.

"What's your last name?" Bumi hedged, scratching the side of his head thoughtfully.

"I'd rather not disclose it," Aang quickly replied.

"And you're entering as a freshman," Bumi stated rather than asked. Aang nodded in reply, wondering how Bumi had known despite the fact he hadn't mentioned what year of high school he was entering. He smiled a crooked grin, revealing the fact that he was missing most of his teeth and only had four left, "Well, Aang, we hope you'll enjoy attending our Republic high," he said, utilizing a plural pronoun to refer to himself instead of a singular one.

The freshman boy smiled, "I hope so, too, Principal Bumi."

The old man smiled back before he proceeded to shove around a mess of papers on the desk that he was still crouching on, then procured a half sheet of paper, "Ah, this will do!" he exclaimed. The old man hopped off his desk, his baggy green robes shifting soundlessly as he did so, and outstretched his arm to hand the page to Aang. The boy silently received the page, glancing it over.

"This is my schedule?" Aang asked, although he didn't really need an answer.

"For the remainder of this school year, yes," Bumi affirmed.

For a split second, Bumi seemed to be distracted by something about Aang. That split second dragged on to be an entire minute before Aang became too peeved to tolerate the staring any longer.

"Is there something wrong, Principal Bumi?" he queried while trying his best to sound patient.

The old man shook his head fervently, as if coming out of a daze, then replied, "Oh, nothing, my boy. For a moment, you looked a little... familiar..."

"We haven't met before," the boy said nervously.

"Right you are. Must have seen you at the bar," the old man smiled with his four teeth again.

Zuko rolled his eyes, ignoring the fact that he'd been ignored through the duration of the conversation, "Aang's not nearly old enough to drink, Principal Bumi. We have to get to class."

The old man chuckled, "Don't let me get in the way. Go, go!" he said, making shooing motions with his hands.

Zuko exited the room, but just as Aang was about to follow suit, the senile principal grabbed Aang's arm. The boy turned back in question to the old man.

"Be careful," Bumi whispered ominously, "of the guards around the palace."

Aang laughed nervously, "Uhh... I'll try to remember that, Principal Bumi. Bye."

As Aang left the principal's office, he'd already made it up in his mind that the man was definitely an old quack, and that he was losing his mind in his old age (granted that he hadn't already).

* * *

On their way to their first block class, which it turned out Aang and Zuko shared, they discussed plans for after school. Zuko mentioned to Aang a tea shop just down the street from the school- and right next to the beach, at that- that his uncle owned. Uncle Iroh, Aang recalled Zuko had called him. He could tell from how highly Zuko spoke of his uncle that he really loved him and respected him.

"- and then he poured the tea all over the guy's head," Zuko said as they entered the classroom, "that pervert never walked into Uncle Iroh's shop again!"

Aang laughed, "You're uncle sounds like a great man."

Zuko sat in a seat near the back while Aang continued to stand, and laughed in return, "He is. My uncle is amazing. I look up to him. I want to be just like him."

Thinking of his own broken family, Aang frowned, "I wish-"

"Okay, class! Settle down and start taking notes!" the teacher interrupted as she entered the room, pulling the projector screen drawstring and letting it fly up in a single swift motion. Aang dropped into the seat by Zuko, leaning his crutch on the desk. The teacher turned sharp, knowing eyes on the students, and looked over each student with care. Lastly, her eyes fell upon Aang.

"Ah," she exclaimed, a sadistic smirk turning the corner of her lips up, "a new student."

Sweat formed at the back of Aang's neck as the stare of every student in the room added to the stare of the teacher. They were all looking at him, as if to calculate everything about him in that very moment. He could already feel them judging him, like the cover of a book.

"H-hi," he stuttered, awkwardly waving his hand in a salutation, "I'm Aang, the new transfer student."

The boy watched with nervous anticipation as his new teacher's focus moved from him to the crutch he had leaning against his desk. Her expression twisted into a slight grimace- some idea she'd been wanting to put into motion had evidently been botched. Aang could only assume that she'd wanted to make him stand in front of the class to introduce himself 'properly'. Perhaps she'd decided it was too much of a hassle to make him hobble on one foot and a crutch.

"Well," she stated with venom, "since you are incapacitated at the moment, I won't make you stand in front of the class," she spat the word class, like a rotten taste in her mouth, "just get to work."

Everyone, including Aang sat and stared awkwardly in random directions. The teacher smacked the board, _hard_.

"What are you waiting for?!" she snapped. "Get to work!"

They all hurried, scurried, and began busying themselves with copying down the writing on the board. Apparently, the students respected- no, _feared_- this teacher a great deal. Aang did as he saw all the others doing. A while later, after finishing copying all the notes, he happened to look up and catch Zuko looking back at him. The words he couldn't say were conveyed quite clearly by the look in his eyes. _We've got talking to do after class._

Aang smiled and nodded in reply, then watched as Zuko also completed his notes. He would later realize that Zuko hadn't been writing notes at all, but writing something that had absolutely nothing to do with that class.

* * *

After school, the two boys casually strolled down the street, and around a corner, then walked some more. They soon arrived at a small, cozy looking tea shop built with pale, nearly white bricks, that had a sign hanging over the door. The sign was painted a brilliant scarlet, and carved in curvy, sharp letters in the center of the sign were the words _Jasmine Dragon. _Aang graciously took in the majesty of the shop.

Zuko gestured toward the shop, "This is my uncle's shop. I work here as his assistant on the weekends. He makes the best tea in the city, and possibly even in the country."

Aang's eyes shined in acknowledgement of the praise his companion gave to his uncle. Mentally, he completed the sentence he couldn't finish that morning. _I wish I had a family like_ yours. He smiled a rueful smile.

"Let's go inside before Uncle notices us just standing out here," Zuko laughed, leading Aang inside the tea shop.

Aang merely nodded and followed. When they entered, Aang noticed two things. One, the shop was very busy, and two, the only server he observed taking orders in the entire room was a jolly old man with a round tummy and a receding white hairline. The man bustled around the room in his traditional Earth Kingdom garb. It was a sight to behold, Aang had to admit, as most people of the modern age had abandoned old ways and adopted the new. Come to think of it, Principal Bumi had also worn traditional clothing.

Brushing it aside, he concluded that the behavior must have been a small city type of thing. The old man, who'd just taken another order down, looked up and noticed Zuko and Aang standing at the entrance. He smiled warmly and made his way over.

"Zuko," he greeted the older boy, "I see you've brought a friend."

Zuko smiled back, with eyes shining words unspoken, "This is Aang," he answered, "I wanted him to try some of your tea."

Aang shivered as he felt the gaze of Zuko's uncle peruse over his form curiously before returning to Zuko. The old man winked at Zuko, in a quite corny looking manner.

"I'll fix you right up, my nephew," he said, "take a seat at the bar."

With that, he was off to the back of room, where for the first time Aang noticed there was a swinging door to another room. He concluded that it was where the kitchen was. He blinked in surprise, noticing that Zuko had already started walking toward the bar by the swinging door. He hurried to catch up with the teen. They took seats beside each other at the bar. Set out in front of them were two menus with the title of the shop printed neatly on the front.

"Go ahead and order whatever you'd like," Zuko told him, "my uncle's got the fee covered."

Aang was a bit put off by the fact that Zuko was yet again denying him the ability to pay for himself, but disregarded it. He nodded thoughtfully as he opened the menu to see an assortment of many different teas, as well as a few scrumptious looking desserts. After brief consideration, he settled on ordering a tea called 'Bai Mu Dan'. The description explained that it was calming and had antioxidants in it, and that it was made with a plant by the name white peony.

As Aang told Zuko of his choice, Zuko nodded, "A good choice."

"What are you ordering?" Aang asked, curious as to what Zuko might choose.

"I like Uncle's Jasmine tea," Zuko replied quietly. It appeared to Aang that the teen was lost in thought. He left him to his thoughtfulness.

Iroh soon returned to take their orders, and later returned once more to give them their tea in disposable cups with lids (as per Zuko's request). Zuko insisted that the atmosphere inside the shop was too stuffy, and that he wanted to walk along the beach while they drank their tea- not that Aang was complaining. The option was quite enticing to him, as well.

* * *

The two walked along the beach, distancing themselves from the sand so as to keep Aang's crutch from sinking into it. They'd finished their tea earlier and discarded the cups in designated recycling bins near the beach. By now, they'd been chattering for quite a good amount of time, and Aang had to admit it. He was happy. He was happier than he'd been in a very long time.

"Would you look at that," Zuko murmured to Aang. Aang raised a brow curiously, unsure to what the teen referred to. Zuko pointed to the horizon, just above the rolling waves of the ocean, "we've talked the day away. The sun's setting."

"Oh," Aang said dumbly. He hadn't even noticed.

"Best to get you back home before it's dark out," Zuko replied cheerily, "curfew is soon."

"Curfew?" he parroted.

Zuko gave him a calculating once-over, "Didn't you know? Republic City has a curfew."

"Seriously?" Aang asked, dumbfounded. "I've never had a curfew before. When is curfew?"

"Depends on time of year," Zuko explained to him as he lightly nudged a hermit crab out of his way with his foot, "for instance, since it's the twenty-third of March right now, curfew's at seven."

The teen slipped a hand into his pocket, then withdrew a phone from his pocket. Aang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the sight of the expensive model.

"You have a BlackBerry?!" he asked incredulously.

Zuko smirked, "Of course. By the way, the current time is 6:50, so you'd best be getting home."

Aang groaned. As if there was anyone waiting for him anyway. Nonetheless, he made the grueling walk home as he was told. Zuko watched him go with a somewhat melancholy expression. He himself made no motion to get home on time.

* * *

**Hmm... It has come to my attention that I've forgotten how to Avatar. D: Zuko's hair is dark brown, not black, and Aang's hair is black. I'll leave it to the viewers, though. Should I change their hair colors, or do you like it more how it is?**

**Wow, this is the longest chapter I've written so far.**

**Well, that's it for this chapter, and thank you for your time. ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay! This chapter will start after a time skip into the future (since, let's face it, just about anything I could possibly put within the skip would be boring as hell). So! A time skip, to keep things flowing. :D**

* * *

It was late May now. It had been many weeks now since Aang transferred to Republic high school, and he was settling in quite nicely. His parents hadn't been around even a day since their alleged random vacation, although Aang had gotten a letter claiming that they were extending their vacation to go on a cruise. Included in the envelope was just barely enough money to pay the rent and utilities for the house. He sighed. Evidently, they expected him to fend for himself when it came to all the other necessities.

So far, Aang had to lie about his home situation, scrape by with what little money he had, and oftentimes starve for the night. It was hard for him to hide the fact that he was quickly losing weight due to the lack of proper nutrition, and in the end, he'd resorted to wearing baggy clothing all the time to hide it.

Things hadn't been all bad for him, though. On the bright side, Aang made friends with the girl who had been trying to get his attention his (unofficial) first day of school. It turned out that Katara was a very kindhearted girl, and smart to boot.

Currently, she and Aang were hanging out in his bedroom. Aang was sitting on his mattress, his head leaned against the headboard of his bed. Katara was sitting on the floor in front of him with legs crisscrossed. It was a Friday, the twenty-fifth of May, and they'd talked the day away together after school. Katara was the first friend Aang started hanging out with since he started hanging out with Zuko, and she proved to be a faithful friend.

They had just finished going over some homework they got for the weekend, and were now relaxing. Both were content to do nothing until something caught Katara's cerulean eyes.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at the conch on Aang's bedside table. From where she was sitting on the floor, she couldn't fully see what it was.

Aang gingerly took hold of the conch to allow Katara to see it, "This is a conch. Zuko gave it to me," he explained, ignoring the way Katara's nose wrinkled at the mention of Zuko (she, like many of the other students, thought Zuko was a delinquent bad boy), "he said that if I was ever in trouble, then I should blow it."

Katara burst out laughing, "Wow, that's the silliest thing I've ever heard! Do you even know how to blow it?"

For the first time, Aang eyed the conch uneasily. _Do I know how to blow it?_

"Go on," Katara encouraged him, "give it a try."

Aang lifted the conch to his lips and attempted to blow into it. His attempt only sufficed to make a strangled sound that sounded more like a dying elephant than anything else. Katara laughed again.

"Here, let me show you how to do it!" she ordered. He reluctantly handed the gift to her. She began to explain as she held the conch next to her lips, "First off, a conch works like a brass instrument. Do you know what that is?"

Aang nodded- he wasn't stupid. One of his previous schools prompted all their students to test out all instruments available the band class in their fifth year of school, regardless of whether they intended to join or not. They liked having well-rounded students who'd been opened up to each possibility. Needless to say, he'd tried all types of instruments, and while he did have a knack for not just brass, but all instruments, his parents didn't allow him to join the band. They claimed it was too fun and would hinder his discipline.

Katara spoke once more, snapping Aang out of his dazed reverie, "Okay, well it's really simple, then. You play a conch the same way you would a brass instrument, just minus the buttons for pitch," she explained, then pressed her lips to the mouthpiece of the conch to give a demonstration. The sound the conch made was very familiar to Aang, and he thought that out of the brass instruments he'd heard, it sounded most akin to a french horn.

While Aang still watched Katara in dazed amazement, she handed the conch back to Aang. He looked down at the conch in confusion, momentarily forgetting what it was he had been doing.

"You try it," she told him, finally getting Aang to accept the conch back into his own hands.

Aang blushed as he was a mite abashed at the thought of putting his mouth where Katara had not but a moment sooner. Still, she hadn't been bothered by the idea of doing the same, so he swallowed his nervousness and gave it a try. Amazingly, he pressed his lips to the mouthpiece and was able to procure a beautiful sound from the conch. He pulled the the conch away from his lips to stare down at it in awe. He'd done it- he made a sound come from the conch!

"You did it!" Katara exclaimed, mirroring Aang's own thoughts.

"Yeah," he murmured with a goofy grin, "I did."

* * *

The next day, after Zuko pestered him to no end, Aang finally decided that he'd man up and do the follow-up for his trip to the hospital. As it were, it turned out that Aang had had more than enough time to allow the hairline fracture in his ankle to heal, and he finally got the splint removed. After dropping the crutch off at home, Zuko insisted that they go to the beach again, and for the first time, Aang got to feel the sand between his toes (the first time in his life, in fact). Initially, he'd thought Zuko was crazy in the suggestion to walk barefoot, but later decided that Zuko had pretty good ideas.

As they walked, Zuko mused, "Isn't it nice to finally walk with your own two feet again?"

"_Very_," Aang laughed, then added, "although, it's kind of hard to get the hang of walking again after being on one foot for eight weeks or so."

Casually, the older teen slipped his hands into his pockets as they strolled, "Time can always heal that."

"True."

After they reached the cove, the two rested for a while before heading out into the glistening, pristine blue waves of the sea. They played around, splashing each other and searching for shells while they were at it. To Aang's displeasure, though, they were unable to find anything worth finding that was in tact.

Zuko pat his back consolingly, "Don't worry, Aang. Not every day is a lucky one. Maybe we'll find something next time."

He pouted, "I wanted to find some shells today."

Zuko laughed, "Like I said. We'll probably find some next time. It's alright."

He wanted to continue to give an air of displeasure, but wasn't able to with the way Zuko was smiling at him. He just had to smile back.

"I guess you're right," he said, "there _is _always next time."

"I knew you'd see it my way," Zuko chuckled.

* * *

Since they'd still had a few hours before curfew, Zuko decided to take Aang to the Jasmine Dragon again. When he looked over the menu, despite the fact he'd seen it many times before, Aang had a war within himself. He was so hungry that he wanted to order one of the desserts, but he was also thirsty and wanted to order a tea to soothe himself. The problem was that he didn't want to abuse Zuko's generosity and Iroh's hospitality by ordering both (never mind the fact that they weren't too awfully expensive). His stomach gave a pitiful growl, but the sharp pain of dehydration in his throat was worse. At last, he settled on just ordering the tea.

When Iroh returned to take their orders, Aang told him, "The usual."

Zuko gave Aang a sideways glance at the pained look Aang sported for a half second. He told his uncle, "Jasmine tea for me, like usual, and also a slice of coffee cake would be nice."

"Right away," Iroh said with a grin.

When Iroh brought their orders back to them, Zuko slid the plate of coffee cake across the bar to Aang. Astonished, Aang gaped at Zuko.

"I can't accept this," he said incredulously.

He scoffed, "Of course you can! Don't try to tell me you're not hungry. Your stomach sounds like a dying whale."

Aang's cheeks flushed the faintest tint of red at the comparison, "It does not!"

"Shut up and eat your cake, before I decide I'd rather have it, brat," Zuko smirked, waving his hand dismissively.

Aang begrudgingly took the food he was offered, but was a little embarrassed by the fact that he couldn't keep himself from shamelessly scarfing it down. Zuko watched him eat with a look of concern on his face, but when Aang looked back up at him, it was gone.

"See?" Zuko jabbed. "Doesn't that feel better?"

Aang stuck his tongue out at him. He only snickered and rubbed a hand through Aang's hair.

Ruffled, Aang raised a hand up and smacked Zuko's hand away, "Stop that! I'm no child."

"Close enough," Zuko smirked.

* * *

That night, for the first time in eight weeks, Aang had a hard time sleeping again. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. Sadly, no matter how many times Aang checked his window, he couldn't find the prying eyes of his would-be stalker. He resigned himself to closing the blinds in hopes that he'd feel more inclined to sleep that way.

* * *

Although Aang managed to fall asleep eventually, it was all for naught. His sleep was racked with dark nightmares, much like the first one he'd had upon transferring to Republic high school. Also, like the first nightmare, he awoke with wounds he couldn't explain. The only seemingly good fortune he'd been graced with was that none of the wounds consisted of broken bones. Nonetheless, he still somehow had a nosebleed, bruises around his arms, and scratches all up and down his sides.

The condition of his body consisted with the skit of his dream- he'd been running from that same creature when it had made several attempts before it grabbed hold of his sides with clawed hands and knocked him down on his face, consequently wrapping a strong grip around his shoulders. Unlike the first nightmare, he immediately awoke after being tackled to the ground, rather than remaining in the ethereal plane.

He was snapped out of his daze by the sound of a knocking at the front door. Aang jolted to attention with a shout of, "Just a minute!"

He hobbled around the room, grabbing an over-sized sweater to cover how skinny he'd gotten (even though it really wasn't that bad yet), as well as the bruises around his shoulders. No need to alarm his early morning visitor. He ran down the stairs and yanked open the door just as the visitor started to knock again.

The visitor was Zuko, who looked Aang over quickly before asking rhetorically, "A sweater in the middle of summer?"

"Humor me," Aang muttered, less than amused by Zuko's morning person attitude. It hadn't been long before he'd discovered, after becoming acquainted with Zuko, that the junior was a morning person. Aang had ceased being a morning person since his time spent in ROTC.

"If that's what you're wearing to breakfast, I don't mind," Zuko said, "but if not, I'll give you time to go take a shower and get dressed."

Zuko could tell the signs that Aang had just woken up, grumpiness included. He'd intended to surprise the boy by treating him to breakfast that Sunday, but apparently it would've been better to give a fair warning. Of course, the way Aang just barely perked up at the prospect of food wasn't missed by Zuko's watchful eyes.

"Be right back!" he declared as he rushed back upstairs.

One corner of Zuko's mouth turned up in a lopsided grin at the sight of Aang's sudden chipper mood. He watched the boy go up the stairs until he turned a corner at the top to retrieve some clothes, and only after the boy was out of sight did Zuko turn away to enter the kitchen. He'd had a sneaking suspicion for quite a while, but when he carefully looked through the cupboards and fridge in the kitchen, Zuko's suspicions were confirmed to be more than simple suspicions. No food- not even a _scrap_. His eyes narrowed, and he wondered what the hell Aang's parents were thinking, starving him like this.

"Okay, Zuko, I'm ready to g-"

Zuko turned his head to look at the boy, his hand still holding the fridge door open. Aang dropped the towel he'd been carrying downstairs to put into the laundry basket. He fumbled around momentarily in a lousy attempt to retrieve the towel, but gave up when he failed twice.

Aang straightened up, eyes darting around the room to focus anywhere but on him, "I-I can explain...!"

"What is there to explain?" Zuko demanded, his voice laced with venom. "It's clear as the cloudless sky outside that your parents haven't been buying you food."

Terrified, Aang misinterpreted the anger Zuko displayed as being aimed toward him instead of his parents. His eyes were downcast as he murmured, "Sorry."

The high school junior huffed, realizing his mistake, "Look, I'm not angry at you, Aang. It's your parents I'm mad at," he closed the fridge door, "I did sort of think that we were closer than this, though. You can _tell _me about these kinds of things. I want to help you."

The boy stubbornly shook his head, replying, "It's not that easy."

"You say that, but you know it's not true," Zuko argued, then paused with a sigh, "forget it. Just let me treat you to breakfast. It's all I ask."

"Well, if you insist..."

Zuko pounced on the opportunity, "Good!" he exclaimed. "Because I wasn't taking no for an answer!"

* * *

After he'd put forth the effort to treat Aang to breakfast at a local diner, Aang admitted to Zuko that he really was grateful for his kindness. Zuko had just been putting down his card on the tray for the bill.

After he gave his signature to the waitress, he smirked at Aang, "Don't mention it. What are friends for?"

The rest of the day was yet another day at the beach before Zuko then treated Aang to a light lunch, and even dinner to boot. Aang was flustered by the treatment he was given, and told him as much. Needless to say that said older teen was sent into a laughing fit, to which the younger kept insisting, "It's not that funny!"

* * *

The majority of Aang's last week of school was spent studying for and taking finals for his classes, but luckily, he only had four to take. The school system at Republic high was set up to where the year was split into two separate halves- called semesters- in which he only had to take four classes during each. It was honestly a pretty good approach in teaching students, if he was going to give his analysis.

Friday was, according to Zuko, an unspoken skip day. It was the last day of school, and anyone who did attend school that day would end up either cleaning classrooms for the teachers, or if not that, then a fist fight. Or both. Either way, Zuko had made it clear that Aang did _not _want to be at school on the last day.

When Friday rolled around, Aang opted to sleep in and not put forth the effort to get ready for school. Strangely enough, though, Zuko hadn't come around to knock at his door. During their now long established friendship, Zuko had made a point of knocking at his door every day at ungodly times in the morning whenever they didn't have school (unless Aang designated for him to do otherwise in advance). He was put at slight unease by the fact that on this day, Zuko neglected to do so.

Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Aang hopped out of bed to take a shower and get dressed. As he entered the bathroom, his reflection caught his eye, and he stopped to examine himself. Already, he'd started to fill back out, and was looking healthy again after Zuko had practically made it his purpose in life to keep him well-fed. He grinned happily at his reflection. He was glad that Zuko had been so persistent in looking after him.

Following his relaxing shower, he dressed himself in some comfortable white sweatpants and a loose orange tank-top. He strapped on a pair of sandals, then stepped outside to take a stroll. He made a brief stop at the Jasmine Dragon, which turned into a long stop when Iroh insisted that he stayed for some tea and a snack. Zuko had been sure to make his uncle perfectly aware of Aang's situation directly after discovering it for himself. Aang didn't know whether to feel thankful or displeased by this. He supposed that for now, he'd feel pleased about it, since he was pretty hungry.

Iroh brought Aang to the back room and served him some orange juice- a beverage he hadn't even known Iroh had in his wares at the store, as it wasn't on the menu- and some grits with toast. Iroh tried to offer Aang eggs or bacon, but Aang had insisted that he was a vegetarian, going as far as to claim he didn't even want to eat unfertilized eggs. Iroh respected his view and accommodated him accordingly.

It seemed that the other students at school had the same mentality as Aang did, seeing as the diner was basically empty that morning, save for a few people. It gave Iroh the free time to check on Aang frequently to make sure he was still doing well.

When Iroh returned once more after he'd cleaned up the dishes, Aang asked him curiously, "I was wondering, where's Zuko?"

The jolly old man froze at this question, obviously caught off guard. Aang was wary of this reaction, as he'd learned that it often meant he was about to be told a lie, or a partial lie.

"Zuko is..." he struggled for the best words to use, "... caught in family matters at the moment..."

The boy frowned, "So suddenly?"

"His father can be very fickle," the old man offered evasively.

Aang new that he'd most likely not get any further information on the matter from Iroh. He could only wait and hope for his friend to resolve his family matters quickly. In the meantime, he could play at the beach to distract himself.

"If he stops by, can you let him know I'm at the beach by our usual hangout?" Aang requested.

"Of course," Iroh said, "anything for a friend of my nephew."

* * *

Due to a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach, Aang headed back to his home to grab the conch from his bedroom before he ran out to the beach. For some reason, he felt like something bad might happen that day, so he figured the conch would help, if only as a security blanket.

He left the conch sitting upon a fairly flat boulder inside the cove, and for a good majority of the day, he had fun despite being alone on the beach. He played all through the day, running through the crashing waves, catching many beautiful shells to stow away in the cove, and he even chased around the seagulls for a little while.

He now sat out on the beach, gazing up at the pale beauty of the moon at its peak in the sky, its right half shrouded in the darkness of the endless night sky. _Wait..._ he thought. _The moon?!_

It was upon this conscious thought that he realized his err. He'd completely forgotten about the curfew!

Aang's ears perked at the soft sound of someone walking through the sand behind him. At first, he wanted to believe it was Zuko finally coming out to meet him at the beach, but he couldn't escape the ominous feeling he got as the nagging in the pit of his stomach returned. He could practically feel the eyes of the approaching figure drilling into his back.

With a shiver, he glanced back but once before he stumbled across the sand and broke into a dead run across the beach. He didn't know who this shady figure chasing him was, but what he did know was that he was bad news. While running, he felt a sense of déjà vu, and found himself comparing his current situation to the nightmares he'd been experiencing.

He shook his head, attempting to dislodge the distracting thoughts. He needed to focus on-

A clawed hand grabbed at Aang's side, sending a jolt up his spine.

-running...!

He fell forward from the force of the attempt to grab and capture him. The boy rolled onto his back to face the creature, seeing only a glint of what he was assuming was an eye in the darkness within what he could now make out as the outline of a face. A shrill scream ripped its way up through his throat as he flailed and managed to kick the humanoid creature in what was most likely the abdomen. The creature gave out a very baritone cry at the attack, and Aang could tell that he'd definitely made it angry, regardless of whether he might have managed to slow it down.

"Uh... oh..." Aang giggled nervously.

He barely dodged a swipe of a clawed hand toward his side.

"Hey!" Aang exclaimed. "That almost hit me!"

Evidently, the creature didn't care, because it made another swipe with it other hand, prompting Aang to dodge again. Aang turned tail to start running like earlier. By then, a flash storm had rolled in, and there was lightning crashing down from the heavens all around. Rain was pouring down, but it only fueled the creature's drive to run faster. Even though Aang had gotten a head-start, it was gaining on him. _Fast_.

Aang leaped for the cove, and just barely managed to land inside when at that precise moment, a bolt of lightning struck the sand between him and the creature- instantly creating fulgurite between them. Aang was thrown back by the sheer intensity of the bolt, and he felt the bottoms of his feet become scorched, as well. The creature, mostly unhindered by the lightning, burst through the fulgurite toward Aang inside the cove.

Running on fear and adrenaline, he ran for his last hope... the conch. With all his might, Aang blew into the conch, and produced a phenomenally fast reaction. Not two seconds after he'd made his distress call, something emerged- dare he say it- quicker than the lightning that had just struck. Clawed hands, much more terrifying in appearance than the first creature's own, appeared on either side of his attacker's body.

He watched in horror as the first creature, shouting and cursing in a language Aang realized he recognized, was pulled into the icy grasp of both the second creature and the sea. It didn't stop there, either. As Aang was frozen in fear, he could hear the strangled gasps as the yells and curses gradually grew in pitch to screaming, and then it was eerily quiet on the beach. Even the thunder had been subdued to a dull rumble.

The panic-struck teen grabbed the conch that had somehow saved him and deftly ran for home, shoes forgotten- they'd take too much time to strap on when all he wanted to do was escape. He had no doubts in his mind that notwithstanding having saved him, the creature that had taken care of his attacker would return for him when it was finished with its victim.

He didn't stop to rest even once during his escape. For the first time Aang could ever remember, he'd been a coward. He fled from the beach with the thought that this night would be the last night he disobeyed curfew.

This night also marked the beginning of Aang's summer break.

* * *

**Yeah... I'm one of those hyphen junkies you may have heard about... :P I'm working on making my chapters longer, but I'm such a perfectionist that I keep looking back at things and thinking, "No, no, I do that too much!"**

**Hmm... I wonder what those creatures were that Aang saw, and how could they connect to the rest of the plot? No, seriously, how does it connect? I don't think these things through at all. Haha.**

**Err... Hope you enjoyed this chapter despite that. ^^;**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I've finally passed a major milestone in the story- that milestone being that something 'fantasy' finally happened! :D Now we're getting somewhere!**

* * *

Aang awoke to an incessant pounding at his front door. His initial reaction was to angrily wonder who would be knocking at his door at such an early time, but it soon occurred to him that it was late afternoon. He shoved the warm blankets off himself and prepared himself to brave the arctic climate that was the temperature of his own home. He winced as the soles of his feet made contact, creating much friction, with the rugged floor. Normally, the carpet was very soft and nice to the touch, but on this day when his feet were burnt, it was torture.

Aang eased his way down the stairs, the knocking at his door continuing the whole while. He approached the door as he snapped, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Just hold your-"

He stopped in his grumbling as he held the door open to see Zuko standing in the doorway, his forgotten sandals cradled by one arm and the other poised with his hand ready to knock again.

"Zuko!" he gasped in surprise.

The aforementioned teen gingerly held out Aang's sandals for him, "You left these at the beach," he muttered, "lucky I found them this morning."

Aang was a bit stunned, but then a huge grin spread across his face, "Thanks! Glad to see you back," he said.

Zuko avoided making eye contact with him, and Aang would have been offended if he hadn't noticed the slightly rosy tint of his companion's cheeks. A muttered, "It was nothing," was exchanged, then Aang invited Zuko inside to hang out for a spell. The boys settled down inside the living room, turning on the television to fill the silence in the room. As it happened, the last time he'd had the television on, Aang had been watching the news, so it was no surprise when that was what appeared on the screen. What was a surprise to him was what was on the news. Scrolling across the screen was the title, "Update on the Beach Murders."

The camera zoomed in on a woman sitting at a desk, a thin stack of papers set in front of her. She folded her hands and rested them on the stack, then spoke, _"Police have an update on the series of beach murders that have been occurring on various different occasions over the past few months, which are now being labeled as serial killings. A fourth murder took place early this morning at approximately 2am. Police are quoted as saying that the victim matches the signature left on the previous victims, and that they don't think the killings will stop there._

_"Although the corpse was mutilated and charred beyond recognition, and had decomposed greatly by the wildlife in the ocean between the time of death and the time the police retrieved the corpse, dental records allowed forensic scientists to identify the corpse as that of Admiral Zhao from the nearby military base. He'd been visiting family here in Republic City prior to his tragic passing. He will be missed."_

Aang was too stunned by the news report to move. He merely stared at the television screen, trying to convince himself that he'd actually heard the report correctly. Zuko, having noticed Aang's odd behavior, gave him a concerned shake of the shoulder.

"Hey, Aang," he said, "are you okay?" he asked, producing no response. "... Aang...? Aang!"

Coming out of his shock, Aang was brought to attention. He murmured in response, "Sorry. Just a little disturbed by the report."

"I'm going to put on something less depressing," Zuko stated, with no room for argument. He grabbed up the remote and flipped the channel to some cartoons.

Aang shifted uncomfortable on the couch cushion, catching Zuko's eye. Zuko's hand shot out to wrap around Aang's ankle and lift his foot up to examine.

"Are these _burn marks_ on your feet?!" Zuko demanded, disbelieving.

He tugged his foot away from Zuko's grip, "What's it to you? I'm fine."

"No. I'm taking you back to the hospital," Zuko decided, standing up.

Panicked at the idea of Zuko paying for yet another hospital fee, Aang stated his reluctance, "No! You can't take me to the emergency room!"

"And why not?" the ebony haired teen crossed his arms, watching Aang's response calculatingly.

"B-...because..." Aang shifted again, becoming even more uncomfortable. "It's... not an emergency...? You're supposed to go to the emergency room for an emergency, and these are just burn marks on my feet anyway."

Zuko's eyes narrowed at this admonishment, "You have burns on your other foot, too?"

"Th-that's not the point!" Aang cried, throwing his hands up in frustration. "You can't just take me to the emergency room for every little thing! I'm not a defenseless child!"

"Fine," Zuko snapped, then before Aang could react, he'd picked Aang up and thrown him over his shoulder. The action was very reminiscent of the first day they'd met. Resigned to his fate this time, he let himself be carried. He'd found out the hard way before that if Zuko had his mind set, there was no changing it.

"Where are we going?" he asked, watching as the scenery outside passed by. All he could see was that they were walking down the street.

Keeping a brisk pace, Zuko answered, "To Uncle's tea shop. He's got a first-aid kit in the back room, and I'm sure you don't have one of your own at home."

Aang wanted to rebuke with the comeback that just because he was poor didn't mean he didn't have a first-aid kit of his own, but he knew Zuko's claim to be true. Defeated, he scowled at the passing sidewalk below him.

Finally, he muttered under his breath in protest, "Not a kid..."

Zuko chuckled at this, "Close enough."

* * *

In the back room of the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh and Zuko were sure to fawn over him to no end. Even after they finished applying ointment and had wrapped bandages around his feet, they still continued to dote on him every five minutes and ask if he'd needed anything (be it pain killers, more tea, a snack, or whatever else could possibly come to mind). He was feeling quite smothered by all the unnecessary attention. He'd even deigned to stress this to Zuko.

"Nonsense," Zuko had replied, "I'm going to treat you like a princess."

To which Aang had snapped back, "Prince!"

"Nope. Princess," Zuko had laughed, subsequently dodging the fury of the flustered boy's fists.

* * *

Later that day, while he'd been pondering on the event from early that morning, it came to his attention that preceding the incident in which he was attacked, his sandals had been washed away to sea. He didn't know much about the ocean, but throughout the time that he'd spent near it recently, he'd discovered one thing: If something was washed out to sea, it wasn't coming back. The fact that Zuko was able to retrieve the sandals was a feat within itself.

Thereafter, he became sidetracked when the object of his contemplation returned from his shift at the tea shop. Zuko slid off his green apron, dropping it haphazardly on the table Aang was sitting at. He wiped the sweat from his brow and gave Aang a once over.

"What are you thinking about?" Zuko asked, his curiosity peaked.

Aang fiddled with the empty tea mug in his hands, "Oh, nothing," he brushed away the question, then tried to produce a distraction to sidetrack him. He couldn't think of anything really good to use, so he at last settled on, "Want to go hang out at the beach like usual?"

The teen's sharp ivory features fell into an expression of what Aang concluded was remorse, "Sorry," he said with both his voice and those big, bright amber eyes, "family matters again. That's why I had to stop working earlier. I was just coming back here to check on you. I can walk you out to the beach- if you want, that is...?"

Aang grimaced, ignoring the feel of abandonment at the new development, "No, it's fine. I'll just walk home."

"You sure?" his faithful companion asked him reluctantly, still torn up that he couldn't spend the entire day with Aang like he'd been doing so often.

"Yeah, it's okay," Aang said, forcing himself not to to say it with so much spite at Zuko's persistence. He produced what he hoped was a smile on his face, "Besides, it will be nice to have a day to myself for once."

Evidently, these words were the ones Zuko needed to hear, as a mask of indifference came over his visage. He nodded firmly, "Very well, then. Enjoy your alone time at home, and don't forget to keep the conch I gave you nearby. Uncle will be happy to give you something to eat if you get hungry later."

* * *

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, and after getting over his bitterness at being alone for such a long period of time for the second day in a row, Aang found that he really did enjoy it. However, the late hours of the night found Aang restless in his bed, unable to sleep due to the fact that he yet again felt like someone was watching him. It was unsettling, and he couldn't help but to hop out of his bed to pace back and forth frequently.

He attempted to calm himself with internal promises that whatever was watching him wouldn't be able to get to him, though he knew not the validity of the most likely false promises. Still, he needed at least a false sense of security, lest he be up all night.

Nonetheless, it was another panic-filled sleep, full of tossing, turning, and plenty of violent nightmares. It almost felt as if, to Aang, that as he experience the nightmares more and more, that he was taking less physical damage during them. Although, how he managed to suffer wounds from dreams alone in the first place, he wasn't sure.

The majority of the day was another Aang spent in solitude. Whatever Zuko was busy with, Aang supposed he wasn't finished. Aang missed him.

* * *

The following days of the week were so normal, it was as if all the crazy things that happened over the weekend hadn't actually happened to him. Aang was content to spend those day with Zuko, collecting many beautiful seashells to adorn the cove with. On the Thursday of that week, after collecting their daily 'quota' of shells, they sat down in the cove.

Aang had noticed for a while that many shells he'd found had strangely symmetrical holes in them, and he'd finally become so puzzled by it that he burst out with the question, "How come a lot of the shells we find have these little holes in them?!"

Zuko's eyes widened at how absolutely random the question was before he snorted and cracked up laughing. Aang became flustered, picking up a shell and playfully tossing it at him.

"What? What's so funny about it?" he scowled.

The teen wiped a tear from his eye that had squeezed its way out from all the laughing, "It's just that you caught me off guard. That's a good question, though. There are these mollusks in the ocean that like to eat clams, but the problem is they can't get through the shell. Their solution is a drill-like tongue they use- called a radula- and they use it to get through the shell and eat the clam inside. That's what leaves these little holes," he explained, holding up the shell Aang had thrown and pointing at the hole, "pretty neat, huh?"

Aang was silent in admiration of Zuko's ample knowledge of the ocean. He nodded dumbly, internally swearing that he could hear his own brain rattling against his skull.

Zuko smirked that lopsided smirk Aang had witnessed him display a few times before, "I thought so, too."

* * *

The subsequent day, Zuko greeted Aang with another gift. This time, Zuko gave him a clam shell that was slightly larger than the palm of his hand- it was pure white. Despite how very beautiful it was, the clam wasn't even the gift. In lieu of the clam Zuko had handed him at his doorway, his actual gift was what was inside- cushioned in a small fold of red velvet was a beaded necklace that used tiny pearls as the beads, with a dime-sized sand dollar as the centerpiece.

"Do you like it?" Zuko asked, eyes shining. "I made it myself."

He neglected to mention that not only had he made it himself, but that he'd also personally dove into the ocean to collect all the pieces necessary to make it- clam included. Nor did he mention just how much effort and time had been put into collecting them (not to mention the strenuous hours spent trying to put holes through pearls, and subsequently breaking many in two).

"Err..." Aang's eyes darted away, cluing Zuko in to his embarrassment. "It's pretty, but it's kinda girly."

The hurt shone in Zuko's eyes, his usual amber dulling to a less brilliant color that more resembled tainted sulfur, "You don't like it then?" he asked solemnly. _All that work down the drain..._

"N-no, I do like it!" Aang replied as his own gray eyes caught the hurt look Zuko barely gave away, trying to make amends. "Here," he said opening the clasp of the necklace and handing it to Zuko, "can you help me put it on? I'm not good with clasps."

"Sure!" his face immediately brightened up.

Zuko took the necklace, and with skillful hands, he slid it around the base of Aang's throat. Aang shivered at the proximity, feeling the warmth rolling off his friend, and he felt a warmth of his own spreading across his cheeks in a blush. Zuko fastened the clasp and pulled away from Aang to admire his handiwork.

"Beautiful." Zuko said.

Aang smiled, "Yeah, it is. I really do like it."

A devious smirk appeared on his face, and a mischievous shine came to his eyes, "I meant you."

The blush returned to Aang's face tenfold, "I-I-I need to get dressed!" he declared in an abruptly loud voice before promptly slamming the door in Zuko's face and running up the stairs to take refuge in his bathroom. Zuko chuckled lightly at this. It was so easy to mess with Aang sometimes.

He didn't bother to hesitate on letting himself into the house, as it was a mutual understanding between him and Aang that after Aang was awake, he was allowed to come in as he pleased. Zuko made himself comfortable on the sofa while Aang took a shower and got dressed.

Feeling refreshed, Aang returned to Zuko in a white tank and camo cargo pants that were cut off at the knees. Zuko's eyes raked over Aang's form appreciatively.

"Nice. Could do with better taste in clothing," he noted, "but I could fix that."

Aang turned away to hide his yet again blushing face, asking over his shoulder, "What's gotten into you, anyway?"

"Nothing," he laughed.

After Aang had thoroughly chewed Zuko out for laughing at him, they both left to go to the Jasmine Dragon, then to the beach. It had become so normal for them to do that Aang didn't want to imagine spending his days any other way. At the beach, Aang voiced to Zuko that he wanted to take off the necklace so that it would't get lost in the waves, but Zuko assured to him that there was no way that the waves could make him lose the gift.

Though he was unenthusiastic about believing Zuko at first, he soon forgot all about it as they got on with their daily routine. It was yet another complete day for the two of them.

Little did Aang know, that night would the mark of a change to the routine he'd grown to love so much...

* * *

Upon nightfall, Aang had long since returned home, as had Zuko. He'd nearly been able to fall into a blissful unconsciousness devoid of paranoia or nightmares when he felt something calling out to him. He couldn't fathom to understand what or why it was, but he found himself in a daze, leaving the comfort of his bed.

Soon, he was out the front door (not even bothering to close it), and walking down the chill, night-shrouded streets of Republic City. Deep within, he was aware that it was dangerous to be out so late at night after curfew. Unfortunately, this awareness was not able to penetrate the surface, where he was stuck in the daze that had overcome him. He walked numbly down the streets, past the school, and past the Jasmine Dragon... all the way to the pale sands of the beach. He gazed over the soft hills that shone at their peaks, and the rolling waves that glistened in the starlight of the moonless sky- unsure of that which he sought.

Still not entirely aware of his own actions, he continued forward, into the frigid waters that had cooled more than usual due to the lack of a moon that night. He could vaguely discern that what he was doing didn't feel right, but he couldn't stop himself. The icy waters were now up to his waist. Somehow, the waves parted around him, even though they were crashing violently into the seashore. Aang could feel tiny, sharp shell fragments biting into the souls of his nearly recovered burns on the soles of his feet. The pain seemed to bring him out of his haze, if only a little.

He could now hear a voice behind him, shouting, "Aang! Aang!"

It took all the effort he could exert to simply turn his head and see Zuko from the corner of his eye, standing at the edge of the shore- drenched in seawater. He could see Zuko running into the sea, fighting against the waves to reach him, but still, he continued to walk forward. Dread began to fill his entire being as he felt like this was the end for him.

Suddenly, strong arms encircled his submerged waist, and Aang realized Zuko had managed to- against all odds- catch up with him. He hadn't even noticed how cold he'd become until he felt the burning heat of Zuko's chest against his back, and he couldn't help the shudder that racked through his body.

"Z-Zuk-k-k-ko," he mumbled weakly, teeth chattering at an uncontrollably fast pace.

The arms around his waist tightened, "Stupid. Why the hell are you out here at a time like this?"

"I-I d-d-don't-" he stuttered losing his voice before regaining it once more, "I d-don't know."

"You've probably got hypothermia," he chastised, "let's get you out of this water before you freeze to death."

Aang didn't want to admit that he already felt a lot better in Zuko's embrace as it was. He still had his dignity to keep in tact.

* * *

After practically dragging Aang back to his house and carrying out the extremely time-consuming and arduous task of warming him up via blanket, his own body heat, Zuko had finally gotten Aang calmed down. Zuko had the blanket wrapped around the both of them, and refused to let him leave the confines of the woolly warmth. He argued that after the near-death experience he'd had, leaving the blanket was the last thing he needed.

An even longer period of time passed before Zuko finally built up the gall to ask Aang what had happened, but alas, it was to no avail. Aang had no recollection of the events that transpired leading up to his position in the sea. He could only assume that Aang had been sleep walking.

"You're really hot," Aang commented later on, gazing blankly at the turned-off television.

Zuko, being the smart-ass that he was, replied with, "Thanks."

"Nice try," Aang jabbed his elbow into Zuko's abdomen, "I meant you were physically hot."

"I know," he said, not even phased by the assault, and still obviously insinuating something other than what Aang claimed.

"You know what I mean," he grumbled in defeat.

"Relax," Zuko said as he moved to massage Aang's shoulders, "I'm only kidding. I knew what you meant to say."

The boy blushed, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he'd allowed such proximity and intimacy to occur between them. He'd made it up in his head that it was a 'necessary evil'- with a capital E for evil... and an underscore... and italics... and bold letters...

"What are you thinking about?"

Aang smiled ruefully, "Oh, nothing. Just plotting out my revenge, which will be carried out directly after I get better."

Zuko rolled his eyes, amused to say the least, "Good luck with that."

"Thanks."

* * *

Admittedly, due to that day, Aang and Zuko had grown closer to each other. They'd always been close, from day one of school together, but now they were even closer than before. Neither would admit it, of course. It was a comfortable friendship.

Throughout the next few weeks, Aang was free of any and all paranoia and nightmares that had previously plagued him. He took the time to do silly things together with Zuko, like randomly hugging each other, or holding hands, even in public- to which, if questioned, they'd claim had absolutely no ulterior meanings. They also continued to participate in their usual schedule of going to the Jasmine Dragon and the beach every day.

Over time, Iroh finally got around to offering Aang a job as a server at the Jasmine Dragon, alongside Zuko, and let Aang know that he'd be paid seven dollars an hour, as well as whatever tips he was given (amusing wages, considering what it was like many other places). Evidently, Iroh could comfortably suffer the cost of paying him so generously. He'd graciously accepted the offer, and got to work the same day that the job had been offered.

The days moved by, surprisingly, even more swiftly afterward. Before long, it was the last day of summer break for the pair. On this day, though, the nagging feeling in the pit of Aang's stomach was back with fervor the moment he awoke. He felt that it didn't bode well. It didn't bode well _at all._

* * *

**Yay! End of chapter again! That's an almost cliffhanger, right? I don't really call it a real cliffhanger, because it's not in the heat of some dire moment... meh... Anyway! Hope you enjoyed this chapter of Riptide, and I'll update again as I am able. :D**

**P.S.: Feel free to let me know what you think so far, or criticize. I love criticism. It helps me improve! ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Finally, done with the next chapter! Hope you like it... ^^;**

**Keep in mind that half the story I've produced is at some ungodly hour of the night, and that it's mostly a product of my sleep-deprived mind. If you see a mistake, feel free to let me know. ;D**

* * *

Aang cowered in his bed through the afternoon, frozen in intense and indescribable fear. That very morning, he'd awakened unusually early in comparison to his usual habits (so early, in fact, that the sun wasn't out yet). In consequence, he'd left home early to go to the beach.

Upon arriving at the beach, Aang had received the shock of his life- such a shock that he dared not even recall it. Even attempting to do so had sent him into yet another shivering fit, and he laid there in his bed, keening under his pillow. He didn't dare emerge from the safety of his bed- let alone his room and home. He was terrified, petrified.

_KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!_

He stiffened, then burrowed deeper beneath his comforter and pillows. His teeth chattered and his face grew pale- as if he'd seen a ghost, but Aang knew that what he was currently hiding from was much, much worse.

"Go _away_!" he shouted in a hoarse voice.

"Aang?" came the far away reply from his front door downstairs. "Please let me in! I'm not going to hurt you- come on , you know me better than that!"

A few tears managed to streak down his face, "No friend of mine would do _that_!"

"That?" the speaker asked, as if unaware of that which he referred to. "No! It's a misunderstanding! Aang!"

"What is there to misunderstand?! You're a murderer!"

Silence...

* * *

Later that day, there was a banging at his door. He sat up in his bed, eyes bloodshot from tears that had stopped falling hours before.

"Go away, Zuko!"

The banging continued, then ceased. Then, the scraping started. A scraping at his door, as if a dog was at it, begging for entrance. This, too, ceased with time. He was left in a more and more eerie silence, and then the scraping started up at his bedroom window. Eyes widened in alarmed trepidation, Aang watched as clawed hands scraped at his window.

"... Zuko...?" he asked, not really believing it was him. Yet, he hoped for some stupid reason that by using Zuko's name, that it would become him and not be whatever it was.

The scraping became more frantic. A small crack appeared in the window. Aang turned tail and ran. Just as he did, the window was bashed in, splinters of glass flying in every direction. Without a second thought, Aang slammed his bedroom door shut behind him. The loud _thud_ of a large body smashing against the door from the other side perforated the air. Already, Aang could make out splinters in the wood.

He ran again. At the foot of the stairs, he heard knocking at his door again- panicked, loud, and insistent banging.

From outside, Aang heard Zuko call to him, "Aang! Let me in, Aang! Aang!"

He almost did what Zuko told him. Key word: _almost_. Upstairs, the booming _crack_ of the door finally being broken down was heard. Aang shouted out in fearful surprise. He ran around the stairs, ignoring Zuko's hysterical demands to know whether he was alright. In the kitchen was the sliding door to the backyard. Aang threw it open and bolted as fast as he could to get anywhere but there.

Regrettably for Aang, he didn't know where to go at all. He'd been convinced that the only safe place was within the walls of his own home, but his home had proven to be a less than safe place. Not even home was safe. He ran in an aimless straight line, not too long later recognizing that the same path he ran was the the path he and Zuko always used to go to the Jasmine Dragon, then the beach.

Dead end. It was too late for Aang to do anything about it, but he'd run out of places to run to. Pitifully, though, he continued to run until he reached the cove, where he found the conch he'd left behind upon fleeing that morning. Not for the first time, he perceived it as his only hope. Aang dove for the white and red conch and blew into it the moment the mouthpiece graced his lips.

Something approached. It lunged to attack Aang. Then, another approached. The resemblance to the first night Aang had been attacked was uncanny. His attacker was pulled into the sea, with horrified screams of protest and agony, and then it was silent.

This night was different, though.

This time...

This time, his savior reemerged from the waves to face him, and Aang hadn't budged an inch. He recognized the bloodied face of his savior as that of no other than Zuko.

"You... saved me...?"

Aang didn't believe it, and he'd seen it with his own two eyes.

Zuko sighed, "See, this is what I was trying to avoid," he attempted to wipe the blood from his face with the back of his hand, but it only served to smear it worse across his face.

Aang was still too befuddled and scared to discern the event that had just transpired. He sat back, conch cradle in his lap, with his expression the epitome of confusion.

"Firstly, let me make this perfectly clear," Zuko stated, holding up a single bloody finger, "I... am _not_... a murderer," he then paused at this admonishment, making a slight amends, "at least, not a bad the bad kind."

Aang didn't bother to point out to Zuko that there really wasn't such thing as a 'good kind' of murderer. He figured Zuko already was aware.

"And also, I'm trying to protect you."

Deciding to leave the question of whether that was true or not for later, Aang asked, "What exactly are you?"

For the first time in a long time, Aang looked at Zuko. Really _looked _at him. The older teen was covered in blood, most of which was not his own. Beneath that, though, when Aang looked closer... there was more, beyond that. There was no way that Zuko could possibly be human.

"That's complicated," Zuko replied, "it's a long story."

"Short version, please," Aang requested, earning a scornful scowl from him.

The older of the two took a deep, calming breath, then said, "Okay. Would you believe me if I told you that... I'm a mermaid?"

Aang snorted, "No," he said, then burst out laughing. He paused in his fit to see that Zuko hadn't started to laugh with him. His face was completely straight, not a single sign of amusement. "Oh," Aang murmured, the mirth in his eyes fading, "you're serious."

"Good," Zuko grumbled as he sat down on the cove floor in front of Aang, "now that we've gotten that out of the way, I can explain. Something that's important for you to know: any real mermaid would be offended if you called them one. It's like calling an Inuit an Eskimo. It simply isn't done. We've been calling ourselves _rusalka _for centuries. If you really wanna stroke a mermaid's ego, call him a rusalka. Can't go wrong."

Aang waved his hand dismissively, though he had been remotely intrigued by the history lesson, "Yeah, yeah, but how does any of that explain what I saw this morning? You're still a culprit of murder however you look at it."

"You see, that's where things become more complex," Zuko shifted his weight uncomfortably, "that guy this morning was also a rusalka. Rules for our people are different than those of humans, but most self-respecting rusalka will respect the rules of humans when they participate in human society. A lot of us try to integrate ourselves," he paused at this, and Aang noted that Zuko had said _a lot_, rather than _most_, "there are rusalka who rebel against the rules we've gone by for so long, and they want nothing more than to assert there authority over the human societies."

"So..." Aang interrupted, "... beating around the bush aside- basically, what you're trying to tell me is that the murder I saw this morning wasn't you killing an innocent civilian, but actually a dispute between two rusulka."

It hadn't been a question, but Zuko replied, "Yes."

"Bullshit." Aang snapped, quite aggravated with the entire conversation. He was certain it all had to be a hoax.

He had to admit, though, that it was pretty fun to see the lower jaw of the supposed 'rusulka' drop in astonishment. He floundered for a moment, then asked, "Wait, so you didn't believe _any _of that?!"

The boy shook his head in the negative, "Not a bit."

"Then what are you going to do now?" Zuko crossed his arms, now also agitated as Aang was.

"I don't know," he replied truthfully.

* * *

Despite himself, he found himself still hanging out with Zuko that evening. Alone. In his living room. Zuko had miraculously been able to coax Aang back into trusting him, though it wasn't before he had to go dig up the body and prove it was, in fact, the body of a rusalka.

Now, the two sat together on a sofa. The tension was obvious, and thick between them (as evident by the good meter of space separating them). Zuko was answering Aang's questions solemnly, explaining what it meant to be a rusulka.

"You don't have a tail like a mermaid," Aang commented casually.

A look of disgust crossed his visage, "Hardly."

"Sore spot?"

"Yes," he snapped, making Aang jump. He glanced over at Aang in hidden concern, "Sorry."

"It's fine."

"It's just that I'm kinda sick and tired of all the legends claiming we have some frilly tail- it's pretty hard to reproduce and shit when we don't have all the right organs," he said, then elucidated, "that's what would happen, by the way. If we looked like that, I mean. We wouldn't be able to reproduce. Just looking at some of that 'mythological' artwork of mermaids makes me cringe. They're so fake it, hurts."

Aang nipped in the bud what he could foretell as a really long rant before it could start, "I noticed that your appearance transformed sometimes. Does that mean that this isn't how you normally look?"

"Sort of. Not quite."

Aang waited for a further explanation when he noticed Zuko staring out the window, "Is something the matter?"

He didn't even acknowledge the fact Aang had spoken.

"Zuko?"

"Huh?" he turned at the sound of his voice, "What?"

"You just blanked out," Aang deadpanned.

"Oh," Zuko muttered, "sorry. Thought I heard something. It's not important."

"Rusulka related?" Aang asked, knowing it most likely was.

"Pretty much."

They grew quiet.

"Tomorrow, can we pretend this-"

"Never happened?" Aang finished, receiving an anxious nod from the older teen. "Bet your ass we can."

Zuko smiled, relieved to see that he was (to some extent) forgiven.

* * *

**This is sloppy and short, so I apologize in advance. I spent a majority of my day crafting a necklace out of only waxed linen cord, one bead, and a sand dollar. Haha.**

**Anyway! I'm hoping to pick up and improve the story in the next chapter, which I will start working on, pronto!**

**Reviews are appreciated. ;D I like constructive criticism, or even just a hello.**


	7. Chapter 7

**What chapter was this again, anyway...? Oh, well...**

**I apologize that it's later than the previous updates, and for any grammatical errors in advance. -.-'**

* * *

It was the first day back to school, and on this day, Aang was dismayed to see that Zuko was absent on the bus. He chalked it up to rusalka affairs. He was a little happy at the same time, though. He still didn't know how to feel around Zuko, because even though it soothed him to know that Zuko didn't just go around killing innocent people, he'd still found out that Zuko did kill people. _Rusalka_, he amended, after thinking it over.

He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of Zuko being a mermaid, which up to this point, he'd always pictured as something straight out of Disney. He presently knew that they didn't like to be called mermaids, and they didn't have tails. _But they do have claws_... Aang thought.

He recounted in his head the times he'd been unknowingly saved by Zuko, and how each time, he'd seen those deadly claws. What was grating on Aang's nerves ever so slightly was that the rusalka would still not admit to him what he truly looked like. Aang had only ever seen Zuko in that form when it was dark, and the moonlight simply didn't cast enough light to give away his full appearance. It really got his curiosity going- that was for sure!

* * *

At school, he discovered that the reason Zuko wasn't at school wasn't because of some dispute with mermaids, but actually due to the fact that he hadn't even ridden the bus. The moment Aang stepped off the bus, he'd noticed it.

There he stood, in all his beauty defying glory- black hair swept back, and his cheeks were still flushed from the heat inside the polished black helmet he held under his left arm. He had on that red, blazer-trench-coat-thingie that Aang had seen him wearing a few times before. It was made of leather, so it went well with the sleek black motorcycle with its red flame emblem design on the side.

Aang approached him with a the only conversation fodder he could summon, "Funny, I thought you were a Harley-Davidson type of guy," leaving out the fact that Harley-Davidson was the only motorcycle model he actually knew the name of.

"Pfft," Zuko snorted, holding back his oncoming laughing fit, "you thought I liked Harley-Davidsons?! Ha! Too slow. This baby moves plenty faster," he said with a pat on the motorcycle's front.

"What model is it?" Aang asked him out of pure curiosity.

Apparently, he was often asked this questio, because he sighed before answering, "It's a Suzuki Hayabusa. The Suzuki is named after the peregrine falcon, because it has the fastest stoop speed out of any other bird in the world. Needless to say, it's a ridiculously fast sport bike."

Aang nodded dully, "I see. How come this is the first time I'm seeing you ride it?"

Zuko shrugged, "During spring break, I brought it with me on a trip for vacation. I left it at the vacation home and was too lazy to get it sent back to Republic City until a few days ago."

For once, Aang had a laugh of his own at Zuko's expense. Said friend, of course, merely looked away in embarrassment.

* * *

Orientation was monotonous, and after they both retrieved their schedules from a table in the hallway once it was over, Aang found that all four of his classes were with Zuko.

"You did this on purpose," Aang said, eyes narrowing.

Zuko smirked, "Guilty as charged."

"If only I knew _how_ you did it..." he grumbled.

"Secret!"

This, as he'd expected, earned him a smack in the shoulder from a rolled up packet of paper in Aang's hand, but he figured the pros outweighed the cons.

* * *

First block, Aang had the same teacher that he did before his last school year had ended. He found out only that day that her name was actually Jun- and despite how mean and strict she was, absolutely insisted on being called by her first name rather than her second. The students didn't even know what her last name was. She'd somehow managed to talk Principal Bumi into withholding it. Not even other teachers knew it. Aang personally thought she was going a little overboard with the measures she'd taken, but to each his/her own.

This year, Jun was teaching her class geometry. Originally, Aang that it would be an easy class and just be a bunch of silly shapes, but he was sorely mistaken when class started. He could barely stay awake through the droning of Jun's explanation to how the points, lines, planes, and so on worked, and blah, blah, blah...

Zuko lightly tapped his knuckles on Aang's shoulder (they were seated together this year, too), and whispered "Hey. You okay?"

Dazedly, he nodded, "Yeah. I just don't get math is all."

"Something more interesting than my class, boys?"

The both of them nearly jumped out of their seats. There stood Jun, right in between there desks, arms crossed and hip cocked to the side. Aang cursed himself for getting distracted so much that he hadn't noticed her, and Zuko was cursing himself for letting her sneak up on him in general. Suffice to say, they were feeling less than satisfactory in skill level.

"No,-"

"-ma'am."

"-sir."

Aang shot an incredulous look Zuko's way, "Sir?!"

In his defense, Zuko claimed, "She gender confuses me."

"... Riiight-"

"Enough!" Jun shouted. "_Out_ of my classroom! _Now._"

* * *

"Well, that was fun."

He nodded at Zuko's comment. He and Zuko were bird-watching in the hallway for the remainder of the block, after their teacher's outburst, and not to mention that she kicked them out, too. Zuko had always liked to aggravate Jun, but it seemed that this year he was becoming more bold. Perhaps it was due to the fact he'd be graduating this year.

"What are you thinking about?"

Aang was jolted out of his thoughts, looking up at Zuko. He was still lost, as he hadn't heard the question.

"Never mind," Zuko averted his eyes briefly before allowing them to wander back to Aang, "hey, wanna ditch?"

Aang's jaw dropped, aghast that Zuko wanted to skip and it was only the first day.

"Cool your jets," Zuko laughed, "it's not like it will be unexcused. My uncle is in some group called White Lily... Laurel... L...- Whatever! It was some stupid white flower is the point. Anyway, it's the same group that old man Bumi is in, so they're friends. He asked the old man if we could take a week off under the guise of working at the tea shop, but we'd really only be working for six hours, tops."

He raised a brow at the long-winded explanation, "Is this why you got us kicked out of class?"

"... Pretty much..."

He sighed, "Let's get out of here."

* * *

He'd also already put two and two together that it was also the reason why Zuko had ridden his Suzuki to school, but for some reason, it hadn't consciously registered in his mind that he'd have to ride it with him. He didn't feel much like recounting the details, since he'd spent the very short amount of time on the motorcycle with a death grip around Zuko's waist as they whizzed down the road at one-hundred and twenty miles per hour.

It quickly became blatant to Aang that he hadn't been joking when he claimed it was faster than a Harley-Davidson. He swore his heart stopped every time they rounded an unnecessary turn, and halfway through the drive he'd convinced himself that they were going to die like that. He finally made it up in his mind that Zuko was extending the ride just to mess with him.

When they eventually did stop (and Aang was so very grateful when they did), it wasn't at the tea shop, but instead at the beach. Aang threw himself off the motorcycle and dove for glorious land before standing to gaze around in wonder.

"Why'd we come here?" he asked to Zuko, who more elegantly dismounted from the vehicle.

He tilted his head, a look of mock dismay crossing over his face, "Hmm? Don't you like it here anymore?"

"That's not what I meant. I meant how come we're here? Shouldn't we be at the tea shop?"

"The Jasmine Dragon can wait. I don't want to share you right now."

Aang scowled, "Then you'll be sharing me with the ocean instead."

He attempted to muster all the dignity he had and stomped down the steps into the sand, where he unceremoniously threw off his shoes and ran off to join the cascading salty waves before Zuko could catch up. Zuko rolled his eyes with mutterings of 'drama queen' under his breath.

For a while, the rusalka was content with just watching Aang swimming in the moderately high tide when, out of nowhere, a movement caught his eyes. There was a humanoid form much farther out into the sea, just barely poking over the surface. The form was too far for even his own heightened senses to identify, but he knew that it could only be another rusalka out there.

He'd started running already before he shouted, "Get out of the water! Get away from there!"

Aang turned around, caught off guard by Zuko's shouting, all for naught. The form was rapidly moving, and from experience, Zuko had learned that all rusalka could move many times faster when wet- faster still if they were submerged in water. he was quite literally out of his element.

Before his eyes, though, something phenomenal happened just as the opposing rusalka beat him to Aang. A thunderstorm, yes, a _thunderstorm _rolled in out of nowhere at a breakneck speed. Electricity sparked in the blackened sky, and then lightning was crashing down all around them. The rusulka was now close enough for Zuko to recognize as a woman from the resistance among his people, a Dai Li agent known as Joo Dee. Joo Dee made a grab for Aang, but as she did, a bolt of lightning struck too close for comfort and she fled.

Luckily, Aang was saved, and he was able to carry the boy back to shore, but now he had something to mull over... Neither he nor any Dai Li agent had the affinity of lightning, so neither of them could have summoned the storm which had, strangely enough, evaporated into nothing once Aang was free of danger.

Zuko stared at Aang as he now saw him in a new light. Was there possibly more to this boy than he'd initially thought those past months of knowing him? Had he miscalculated? He looked again at the boy, currently occupied with harrassing some confused hermit crabs. _No, _he thought, _that's impossible..._

And yet...

* * *

The stressful event of nearly losing Aang to a Dai Li agent without so much as even putting up a fight had convinced Zuko that it was about time to get to work at the Jasmine Dragon. A few minutes later found Aang on the sidewalk, nearly ready to hurl from the speed they'd traveled at on the Suzuki while Zuko simply cackled in delight.

Inside the Jasmine Dragon, Aang and Zuko found the next abnormalty of their day. Iroh wasn't there. Not only that, but he had neglected to turn the sign on his door to display that the shop was closed. Aang paid it no mind, but Zuko stopped in the middle of the shop with a frown. There was a smell perforating his nostrils that was familiar to him. It was an oceanic smell. It was unusual for his uncle to want to cook fish.

Aang stopped, hand poised to open the back door, "What's wrong?"

"Something's not right-" he just barely said, when-

_CRASH! CLANG!_

"What was that?" Aang asked, not even pausing before opening the door. "I'm going to check what it w-"

A hand shot forth from within the back room and yanked Aang inside.

"_Aang_!"

He ran through the doorway before the door had even gotten a chance to close all the way, but it was too late. Aang was gone.

"I saw the motorcycle outside. Sorry for the wait, boys, I had to go to the grocery... where's Aang...?"

Zuko turned to see his uncle, his entire posture displaying the epitome of malice. He didn't even speak, but still, Iroh understood in just that very moment.

"Oh," was the only thing Iroh said. It was a single syllable, but one that was filled with regret, sadness, and the knowledge that he knew just how heavily Aang's disappearance weighed on not just Zuko, but himself as result.

"_Where_ did they take him?!"

Iroh knew Zuko would not take beating around the bush kindly, but still he replied with, "You know where."

The teen's eyes narrowed in visible displeasure, but Zuko didn't snap anything back in response. He simply turned on his heel and walked past his uncle, out to his motorcycle. Inside the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh hadn't moved an inch from where he'd been standing, and he flinched as he heard the rev of Zuko's Suzuki before it sped away.

* * *

The wind whipped threw his hair as Zuko was driving. He had forgotten to grab his helmet during his seething exit, and he didn't care to return to the tea shop for it (he really didn't want to end up confronting his uncle and explaining why he was back empty-handed so soon).

As he zoomed down the the street at high speeds that rivaled his usual breakneck pace, he was mulling over all the possible meanings of his less than helpful Uncle's short response. It wasn't a secret between him and his uncle that Zuko was very knowledgeable of any and all rusalka who presented a threat to the peace of their race, as well as their hide outs... but... did that necessarily mean that one of those places was where Aang had been taken to? He wasn't sure.

Zuko allowed his subconscious to take over maneuvering the streets. He forced himself to think back, long and hard, analyzing everything that happened in that period of time in which Aang had been kidnapped. Anything peculiar he'd seen, any smell he'd detected, or sounds. Anything to clue him in to where Aang might be.

That was when the one thing he needed came to him- a scent coming from the kitchen, which he'd originally attributed to a sporadic indulgence in fish by his uncle. Now, upon further contemplation, he realized why it had been so familiar. It was the smell of a rusalka that had recently emerged from the ocean.

_Which means..._

He could only hope that he could get there in time.

* * *

Zuko became more and more anxious as he neared the area he was now certain Aang would be in, some feeling about the ordeal not boding well in the pit of his stomach. He swore to himself that if any of those damned Dai Li agents so much as touched a hair on Aang's head, he'd turn every last one of them inside out. He wasn't sure how he'd go about doing it, but he'd find a way. A dark smirk quirked the corner of his lips ever so slightly at the thought. It was gone as soon as it had come, though. He had to focus.

He had to save Aang.

* * *

Aang nervously observed his surroundings, as well as his pacing captors. He was captured inside a massive iron cage, hands bound behind his back with twine. A small part inside of him whispered that the tying together of his hands was overkill, but the rest of him mentally shouted at the smaller part to shut up, and that it wasn't the point of the matter.

"Do you think you could loosen this for me?" he asked the man closest to the thick iron bars, gesturing toward his bonds with his chin, "It's kind of tight. I think it's cutting off the blood circulation in my hands."

He gave the man a corny smile, but not amused, the man growled, "It's fine enough as it is. Your comfort is the least of our concerns."

Aang scowled at him as he turned on his heel and continued his pacing. He redoubled his efforts and shouted, "Hey, where can a guy go to the bathroom around here?! I'm about to pee in my pants!"

The man then looked at another man, who shook his head in response. He turned to Aang with a grim frown, "Then go in your pants."

The boy's jaw dropped. He simply stared before replying incredulously, "You can't be serious!"

"I don't joke."

He scowled again, staring up at the sealing as he heaved an aggravated growl of a sigh. Now that he thought of it, he actually did have to pee just a teensy-weensy bit. He told his bladder to shut up while he tried to think of some other way to get the men to let him out of the cage. There _had_ to be a way to get out...

An idea came to him. It was a long shot, but he got the feeling that they wanted him alive... it just might work.

"Hey," he said, getting the guard's attention again.

The guard looked at him warily before storming over to stand right in front of the bars. He hissed under his breath, "_What is it?_"

Aang stuck his tongue out at him in a rude gesture, then said, "If you don't let me out of this cage right now, I'll bite through my tongue and bleed myself out."

The second guard, finally catching wind of the conversation the two were carrying out, briskly walked over to the cage, "Don't listen to him," he ordered, then narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "... he's bluffing..."

The boy faked a confident grin, "Am I?" He displayed his tongue proudly to the two, lightly biting it, but not breaking the surface of the flesh, "Are you willing to take the chance?"

To the daring question, the first guard cockily laughed, "You wouldn't."

That was all he needed for his resolve to harden, and with it, so did the shine in his eyes. The second guard, who by this point appeared much smarter than the first, gasped as he caught the way Aang's eyes changed.

"He would," the smarter guard said, still in a final stage of disbelief. Without looking away from Aang, in fear that doing so would magically cause him to actually bite his tongue, he said as calmly as he could, "Let the boy out."

"But Long Feng said-" the dumb one started to argue, but stopped for a split second when the smarter guard sharply glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

He started to shout, "Did you hear what I just said?! That was an order; I don't care what Long Feng told us! Let. The. Boy. Out," he said every syllable in the order with staccato.

When the dumb one opened the door, Aang stepped out, still displaying with his teeth now firmly clenched into his tongue, that he was willing to bite through it at the drop of a hat. He found it vaguely ironic that he was holding himself hostage; a dark humor of sorts.

The guards watched in anxious anticipation as Aang neared the exit. Their hands were effectively tied, he knew.

Then, out of the blue, the smart one shouted, "Now!"

Aang hesitated, worried that there was an ambush coming. Nothing happened. Aang raised brow. He felt something sharp puncture the back of his right forearm. Surprised, he grabbed at the area, and withdrew his hand with a small dart with a hollow needle tip.

"Tranqui... liz..er...?"

It was all he was able to say before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he started to fall. The sniper, a tough woman with long black hair pulled back into a half up-do and clad in a sleeveless black leather trench coat with precarious black high-heeled boots (it was amazing she could even walk straight), leaped down from her vantage point, easily catching the now unconscious boy in her open arms.

"Good work," said the smart guard, "Jun."

The high school teacher didn't speak. Only nodded. She really gave the smart guard the creeps (whereas the dumb guard was oblivious to the fact that anything was wrong). In all the many years she'd worked for Long Feng, not _once_ had he heard her speak. Ever.

* * *

Jun sat idly in the back of the cave, monitoring her charge with care and paying extra close attention to any movements he made. When she'd first started her job as a sniper, she'd try not to be paranoid about prisoners, but she'd soon learned to instinctively trust her paranoia. It usually served her well. And yet... and yet, right now she couldn't help but ignore the paranoia.

She was too lost in her thoughts. She'd never had to deal with a prisoner like this. One who was so young. Let alone, who was her student. This was a new one on her.

Aang twitched in his sleep, causing her attention to fluctuate from her own thoughts to Aang, but she soon receded back into her mind. It just seemed suddenly barbaric. Never before had she objected to these kinds of missions. Never before had she cared what happened to the prisoners.

But now...

_I don't know what to_ do.

* * *

As he saw a light up ahead, Zuko was comforted (only a little) by the fact that he'd been right. The rebelling rusalka who'd captured Aang were taking refuge inside the cove that he and Aang hung out at on a daily basis. He was grateful to the spirits that these rusalka were incompetent morons.

He couldn't let his guard down, though. If he let his guard down, he could lose Aang again. This time for good. He would _not_ lose Aang. He'd die before he let that happen.

* * *

Jun glanced up from her charge as the low rumble of a motorcycle's engine reached her ears before abruptly cutting off. No doubt about it.

_He's here._

* * *

Zuko left his motorcycle up on the road before he walked down the steps to the beach. He wasn't a hundred percent sure that the motorcycle wouldn't work on the sandy terrain, but he also wasn't willing to find out tonight. He needed it in top working condition in case he needed a speedy getaway (that was assuming he wouldn't have to take a swim, but knowing his luck he'd be doing both).

As he stepped near the entrance of the cove, he stopped. There was nothing keeping him from entering, but yet he was afraid to enter. He didn't know what would happen from there on out. Still. He grumbled to himself to man up. This was to save his best friend.

The cove was cold, damp... and quiet. Too quiet, in fact. He didn't like the sound of it, he'd thought to himself ironically.

At first, nothing was visible inside. As he ventured further into the clutches of the darkened cove, though, his eyes quickly began to adjust. He could make out two figures on the far side, by the rocky wall. One was motionless on the floor, and the other in an at ready position above the motionless body. The more he stared in that direction, the more he could see of the tiny details.

Zuko's stomach did a few nauseating flips before twisting into a painful knot. The motionless one was Aang. Dread filling his thoughts, he immediately assumed the worst. He was too late.

Nonetheless, he approached the two. The closer he got, the more the one standing tensed. He hadn't been paying close enough attention to notice before, but with a shock he finally realized something. The one standing over Aang was his teacher from school- Jun!

He got closer and closer until he stood toe to toe with the woman. Suddenly, the teacher let out a strangled gasp, and he could see her dark eyes go wide. He kept his own grim expression in place.

"Prince Zuko!" Jun exclaimed in a hushed tone.

He glared at the title begrudgingly. How she knew of his heritage, he didn't know, because she didn't smell like a rusalka. Which, of course, didn't stand for much, seeing as after a few days out of ocean water, the smell would fade away. He still nonetheless felt as if he would have found out sooner than at this very moment, had she truly been a fellow rusalka.

Returning to the issue at hand, he snapped back at Jun, "That's a title I haven't used in years. How do you know it?"

Her eyes glazed reminiscently, "Not important."

His own eyes narrowed. Evidently, it was, but without forceful coaxing, he'd probably not get it out of her. "Very well," he muttered, "then, what are you intending to do with him?"

He didn't bother to use Aang's name. She'd know exactly who he was talking about regardless.

"I don't truthfully know anymore..."

Zuko remained silent. Jun sighed and continued.

"Originally, I'd intended to use him as bait. I had no idea that the one I'd be baiting is you, Prince Zuko. For that, I apologize with the utmost of regrets."

Zuko was not pleased by this explanation. He knew she could tell, from the way her face rose then fell.

"I-I'm a mercenary for hire," she explained in a rush, "I don't normally ask questions about my jobs. I just do them to get paid. Had I known that my charge would be _him_," she pointed at Aang, "and that I'd be up against _you_," she gestured wildly toward Zuko as she got more frantic in her explanation that had begun to become more of a mess by the second, "I would never have taken up this damn job in the first place! I might be reckless sometimes, but I'm not stupid."

"What do you mean, mercenary for hire?" he asked. "Are you not the one behind Aang's disappearance?"

Of course, he knew that the answer to his second question would be no. That smell from the kitchen was unmistakably rusalka, so there was no way that she could be the only one who had a hand in his kidnapping. She didn't know that, though. He was trying to play stupid in hopes of getting more information.

"Heavens, no! I would never kidnap a spirit walker of my own volition!"

Zuko's eyes widened to phenomenal proportions, which, had he been in a more humorous mood, he would have noted was comical. He'd been hoping for useful information. The words Jun uttered were not any type of information he'd expected. He shook his head, sure he hadn't heard her right.

"Did you say..." he said dazedly, losing his train of thought. He shook his head again, "I'm sorry. I must not have heard you correctly. There's no way you could have called Aang a spirit walker."

"You heard me right," she replied firmly.

"But they're a dying race! There aren't but maybe five of them left!" he shouted exasperatedly. His heart skipped a beat when from the corner of his eye, he caught Aang twitching. Asleep. He was asleep, not dead. Jun saw the way Zuko looked at Aang.

"I've only tranquilized him," Jun told him in a matter-of-fact manner. Zuko nodded. She checked Aang's vital signs, then said to Zuko over her shoulder, "If you think the spirit walkers are a dying race, that they would simply vanish like a flame in a storm, you're sadly mistaken. They're like water. Water may seem to vanish in the heat, but truly it only evaporates before it returns once more to us- still the same water, yet fresher than before. Like water, the spirit walkers may leave us for a short time, but they will be reborn... as Aang has done."

He simply couldn't wrap his mind around it, "No. There's no way Aang could be a spirit walker. By this age, he'd have already at least discovered astral planar travel. He'd know by now!"

"Perhaps not. Spirit walkers with a tribe would know by his age, but try taking a spirit walker out of his tribe, his element. Put him in a completely normal family, where he is ignorant of his own potential. He does not know that which he himself is capable of," Jun was calm as she spoke, unaffected by Zuko's outburst and disbelief.

"What are you saying...?"

She smiled, "Does Aang ever have strange nightmares?" she asked, seemingly changing the subject. Zuko was put off, but still answered.

"Yes. He has frequent nightmares."

"Did he ever mention anything unusual happening during these nightmares? Things that were out of his control?"

Zuko frowned, "He doesn't really tell me a whole lot about what happens during his nightmares. He just tells me he had a nightmare if I ask how he slept. I've never pressed the matter further. I never thought it would be important to know."

She shook her head at this, "No, that won't do. He never mentioned wounds he'd acquired that he couldn't explain? Broken limbs or scratches that he'd wake up with that he couldn't have inflicted?"

"No-" Zuko stopped himself, really thinking about it. What Jun said reminded him of something. One day, while he and Aang had been at the beach, he noticed some dark bruises on his back when Aang was running toward the water. The bruises were in shaped very suspiciously like hands, and were in such a spot that it was impossible for Aang to have inflicted them. Zuko refocused on Jun's face, "Yes. There was an incident. He didn't tell me about them, but I don't know if he himself even knew. There were strange bruises on his back once, and there's no way he could have done it, and I know I didn't. They weren't there the day before. I'd thought nothing of it at the time. Could that be what you're referring to?"

"That settles it," she replied with finality, "you see now? He is what I have said he is. Child of the sky. Spirit walker."

He stared at her incredulously, despite the fact that she'd just proven that without a doubt, Aang was a spirit walker. Zuko was admittedly in denial.

"I'll give your spirit walker back to you," she said, jolting him out of his thoughts, "but I've got a request for you in return. Abandoning my mission will, no doubt, bring great consequences. I only ask that, should I need it, you will help me as you do now for Aang. I don't request your services with nothing in return, of course. I will help you, as well, should the occasion arise. Does this appeal to you?"

Zuko had no qualms with teaming up with Jun, even though she had started off on the wrong foot (spirits knew he was just the same). He was in sync with his instincts well enough that, had she been lying, he would have known immediately. He nodded, "It does. For one such as I, allies are always welcome."

"Good," she smiled gratefully, "the news that I have failed will take a few days to arrive with my employer. He'll probably take a day or two more to decide on a course of action, so until then, everyone should be safe."

"I don't intend to test that theory," Zuko muttered, "I'm keeping an eye on Aang closer than ever before," _now that I've already failed him once, _Zuko noted internally, full of self-loathing. He jumped at a feeling of warmth on his shoulder. Zuko looked down at the hand, then followed the limb to its owner. While he'd been distracted, Jun had stepped closer to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. She quickly massaged his shoulder with the one hand before retreating small distance from him.

"I understand the need to remain wary," she soothed him solemnly, "all to well. I wouldn't blame you if you took him and fled from Republic City."

His brows furrowed, "What?"

She offered no explanation for what she'd hinted at. She sighed, and simply murmured, "Republic City is no place for a spirit walker. So young. Too young..."

He felt that the tired looking teacher knew more than she was leading him to believe. It wouldn't do to pry, of course. She'd most likely get defensive or change the subject. Finally, he asked her a burning question that kept nagging at the corners of his mind.

"What are you?"

"A lost soul. A companion. One who relishes in the joys to be found beneath the moon, and who sings to the beauty which is her pallor."

The overall cryptical nature of how she was speaking made his head pound, "I don't understand."

She gave him a toothy grin, and upon closer inspection, Zuko realized her teeth were unusually sharp in appearance. She chuckled, replying, "You will. In time. I will now take my leave. I'm certain your motorcycle is capable of carrying the both of you. He'll be awake here in two minutes."

He wasn't even able to completely register what she'd said when he noticed she was gone. He then wondered in astonishment how she could have known he'd been driving a motorcycle. He'd parked it quite a distance away, and she still was able to hear it (not a feat within human ability, obviously).

From behind Zuko, there came a muffled moan. He swiveled around on his heel to see Aang awakening, as Jun had predicted.

"Aang!" he exclaimed breathlessly, making no hesitation in rushing over to check on him. "You're okay! How are you feeling?"

The boy rubbed the back of his hand over one of his eyes, staring up blearily at him, "Mmm... mm... Zu...ko...?"

He wrapped a reassuring hand around the hand Aang still had resting on the cave floor. He rubbed soothing circles into the back of it with his thumb, in attempt to comfort the boy, "Yes, Aang. It's me, Zuko."

For a moment, Zuko almost thought the poor boy was going to start crying. The feeling was gone as soon as it had come, though, and as the tension went lax, Aang threw his arms around the rusalka's waist.

"I-I was so scared!" he whimpered.

Zuko absentmindedly combed the fingers of his unoccupied hand through the boy's hair while he used the other to hug the boy back, "Shh, shh, it's okay. I'm here now. Nobody's going to hurt you," _anymore, _his subconscious reminded him, and he wilted at the reminder. It did serve to strengthen his resolve, though. He hugged Aang more tightly, "They won't touch you. Not over my dead body."

He felt Aang flinch at the dark promise before the boy's head rubbed against his abdomen in a shy nod of the head.

"Thank you."

He didn't know why Aang was thanking him exactly, but smiled nonetheless, "Don't mention it."

Deep inside, Zuko knew. This was only the beginning.

* * *

**And that's a wrap! ;D Time to get cracking on the next chapter. Lol.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow! What is this, chapter 8? Awesome.**

* * *

Aang sat idly on a bed that that was not his own. The past few days had been stressful, but yet had gone by quite quickly. He was only able to stop and collect his thoughts now, and so he did.

After having rescued him, Zuko brought Aang back to his home. The next morning, he discovered a letter from his parents claiming they'd be promptly returning home from their alleged vacation. He'd become very distraught after he read the letter over a few times, as the true meaning the letter implied sunk in.

He'd confided in Zuko his worries, which was when Zuko informed Aang of his intentions to whisk him away on some road trip. Aang obviously hadn't fallen for Zuko's excuse of simply wanting a vacation of his own when he'd asked the rusalka why the idea had so suddenly struck him, and so Zuko ended up explaining what was really on his mind.

Zuko had told Aang that when he found Aang where the rogue rusalka had dragged him off to, he'd found Jun. He went on to say that Jun had helped him in rescuing him, and had turned out to be an ally (Zuko had been sure to leave out the part about how he was nearly one hundred percent sure that he was a spirit walker). He informed Aang that he was worried for his safety, which was what had sprung the idea of a road trip.

The idea seemed great to Aang at the time, and he glowed at the prospect of escaping his parents, if only for a short while longer. Nothing lasted forever, though.

They'd left on Zuko's motorcycle, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the few supplies the older teen had stuffed haphazardly inside Aang's messenger bag and slung over Aang's shoulder for him to hold on to. After a day's worth of riding, Aang had started to get drowsy and began to droop against Zuko's shoulder. The teen had ended up having to pull over for a while.

They had soon hit the road again, only with Aang in front on the motorcycle, with Zuko's arms around him to reach the handlebars. He'd wanted to be sure that Aang wouldn't fall off the back of the motorcycle, but the internal urge to get farther and farther from Republic City had been too strong for him to just wait and rest before they got to where he intended to go.

They arrived at the hotel by nightfall of the second day, and by then, the homesickness and regret had begun to sink in. Aang allow Zuko to see it, but after the initial thrill of doing something without his parents' consent, he was more distraught that before he'd agreed to leaving Republic City with Zuko. Aang felt like a lunatic.

Zuko was currently in the bathroom, taking a shower. It was the first time that Zuko had ever taken a shower while even in the same building as Aang. He figured, with an ironic humor, that it would probably not be the last time within the following few weeks.

He heard a squeal as the door was opened before Zuko emerged from the bathroom, already fully dressed in complementary pajamas the hotel had set on the bed. The hotel was certainly unique and expensive. He'd never seen a hotel that offered complementary clothing. Towels, soaps, and razors even, but never clothes. The whole place was odd, in his personal opinion. Very posh.

"Your turn," Zuko told him.

Aang's eyes raked over Zuko's body appreciatively, and he marveled at how dry Zuko was- not even a drop of water, even in his hair, "You take _really_ long showers."

"So?" Zuko asked, insinuating the question of what the point was.

"So nothing," Aang rolled his eyes, "I call the side of the bed with the window."

"Why?" Zuko quirked a brow curiously.

Aang stepped through the doorway to the bathroom, and before closing the door, said, "No reason."

* * *

The night was restless for Zuko, as his memories weighed heavily on not only his conscious, but his entire mind. Every fiber of his being was grief-stricken and full of regret. He was so bothered by how out of control everything was. For most of his life, Zuko had been the esteemed prince of the rusalka, and he'd not once had to lift a finger to obtain what he wanted. Now, things were complicated.

His amber eyes darted toward the boy as a sheen of sweat spread over Aang's face. He knew right away that it was because of a nightmare. Memories of what Jun told him in mind, Zuko rolled over and wrapped an arm around Aang's waist- a subtle attempt to comfort him. This attempt was to no avail. The sweating continued to worsen until Aang began to whimper and moan in his sleep. Then, the tossing and turning started.

Without a second thought, Zuko immediately took action. He tried shaking the boy's shoulders to awaken him, but as the tossing and turning grew more violent, he was forced to straddle Aang's hips to prevent him from rolling right off the bed.

"Let go of me!" Aang cried feverishly.

He shook the boys shoulders again, "Aang, wake up! It's a just a nightmare!"

He continued to struggle.

"Wake _up!_"

Aang's eyes snapped open, but something was off. They were filmy, nearly completely white. Glazed over for some reason. Zuko felt an emotion akin to hopelessness in the pit of his stomach, as he realized he couldn't do anything about it.

"Aang..." he murmured pitifully.

Slowly, the boy's eyes lost their filmy texture and began to shine with the light of life once more. It took a few moments more before his eyes actually focused on anything, and when they did, they found Zuko. Aang's bottom lip quivered. Zuko thought that he'd hold the tears back like he did before, but he was shocked to see that the tears fell freely. Perhaps his sleep hazed mind made it harder for him to remain 'strong'.

"Zuko?" Aang whimpered, unsure of himself.

Zuko hugged the boy, "I'm here, Aang. I'm here. Everything is okay now."

The boy weakly slung his arms around Zuko's back, "I was so scared."

"It's okay to be scared," he comforted, "it's only human to be scared."

Aang nodded into his shoulder, tears staining the cotton pajamas he wore. Not that he cared. They remained like that for a time until some common sense eventually came back to Aang. Zuko watched as Aang gazed around the room. The boy looked up at Zuko then, eyes swimming with confusion.

"Why are you on top of me?" he asked, deadpan.

The teen chuckled nervously. Of course, he wouldn't remember. He slipped off of Aang, and laid back down beside him, muttering a reserved, "Sorry."

Aang barely acknowledged the apology, "I was having a nightmare again, wasn't I?"

Zuko didn't reply. Aang turned his head sharply, glaring at Zuko.

"What are you hiding from me?"

"Huh?" Zuko murmured dumbly. "What makes you think I'm hiding something?"

Not that Aang wasn't right. The boy's mouth set into a thin line, and Zuko nearly didn't catch the movement when Aang pounced on him. All of a sudden, Zuko found himself being straddled by Aang, but for different reason than he'd done himself.

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?" he stared up blankly into angry silver eyes. Pretty eyes. Even when he was angry, they were so beautiful.

"What are you _hiding_ from me?!" he demanded exasperatedly. "I thought we were friends!"

The teen feebly whispered, "We are."

"Friends don't keep secrets from each other," the boy hissed.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Wouldn't I?" Aang asked Zuko, receiving no reply, but it had been a rhetorical question. He continued, "Try me."

Zuko rolled his eyes with a sigh, "Fine, alright. I'll tell you. The other night, when I rescued you, Jun told me that you're a spirit walker," he surrendered. Aang remained seated on top of him, staring down at him with a dumbfounded expression. Zuko pursed his lips in a scowl, "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"No, no, it's not that," Aang clumsily blurted out, "it's just that I don't know what that is."

_Oh, duh. I'm such an idiot!_

"Very powerful beings," Zuko explained, eyes set on the ceiling behind Aang's head, "they're like the moderators of the fae, the demons, and basically everything. They're essentially gods."

Aang locked eyes with Zuko skeptically, "Bullshit."

"Do I look like I'm joking to you?" he asked. "This is not the time to be joking. I'm absolutely dead serious."

"I know you're serious about what you think," Aang said, "that doesn't make it true."

The teen banged his head back against the keyboard, "You're so difficult! If you aren't even going to believe me, then why bother asking?"

When Zuko received no reply, his frown deepened. He was going to grumble another retort at Aang, but then noticed that the boy wasn't even awake anymore. He'd fallen soundly asleep. While straddling him.

_What. The. Fuck._

He averted his eyes, too embarrassed to think too hard on the circumstances. He'd worry about the technicalities in the morning. Right now, it was the middle of the night, and he intended to get at least a little more sleep before he got cranky enough to bite someone's head off.

With the rhythmic rise and fall of Aang's chest as he breathed in and out deeply, it was easy for Zuko to also be lulled into sleep. He did so all too willingly.

* * *

Come morning time, Aang had to face the facts: he had just slept a majority of the night away, not only in the same bed as Zuko, but also in Zuko's embrace. Sure, they'd hugged each other and held hand frequently before, but sleeping so near to each other was different. At least, he thought so.

Zuko didn't appear nearly as ruffled about it as he himself felt. This admittedly had put Aang in a sour mood. How dare that smug rusalka act like sleeping that way was nothing to him?

The oblivious teen was now in the shower, and as per his request, Aang respect his privacy. He didn't understand what the big deal was about wanting to shower without Aang entering the room. They were both boys. It wasn't like Zuko had anything Aang hadn't seen already. Not to mention how they'd slept... Aang seethed as he thought about it again.

Just like yesterday, Zuko took a ridiculously long shower before emerging from the bathroom completely dry. Aang set his discerning gaze on Zuko, long and hard. Zuko shifted uncomfortably.

"Umm," he muttered, "shower's done. Your turn."

At first, Aang didn't even respond to what Zuko had said. Zuko was obviously unnerved by this, as his eyes darted anywhere in the room but to Aang. Finally, Aang looked away from Zuko, "Okay. I'll be taking mine then."

After a much briefer shower than Zuko had taken, his hair still dripping wet and sloppy in contrast to Zuko's immaculately dry and styled hair, they left to get some breakfast. The hotel offered both breakfast and dinner, but Zuko claimed that he didn't want to remain holed up in the hotel all day. They got some fast food (at Aang's request) instead of anything expensive (as Zuko had wanted), then strolled down the street to a nearby park. All the places they went to were in a short walking distance, so Zuko had left the motorcycle back a the fancy hotel parking lot.

At the park, they fed the ducks. Aang found that for some odd reason, the ducks liked Zuko a lot. In fact, whereas they'd avoid Aang even when he offered them food, they'd walk right up to Zuko despite the fact he'd long sense run out. There were mutterings under Aang's breath of 'stupid mermaids' and their stupid 'hypnotism' powers. Accusations, of course, which he could in no way back up were true.

Zuko chuckled at Aang's grumbling, easily having picked up on it despite the fact that Aang thought he couldn't, "This only happens with ducks. I promise."

Aang pouted. It hadn't consoled him any.

* * *

Aang awoke in the hotel bed, not registering where he was at first. After he came back to his senses, he mused to himself about how he hadn't even realized that he'd fallen asleep until after he'd woken it up. He found it slightly humorous.

Zuko wasn't in the hotel at the moment. He'd left, saying he had some errands to carry out quickly. Judging by the quiet room, Aang surmised that he hadn't returned quite yet. He shoved the covers aside and got out of the bed. He rummaged through his carrier bag to find his toothbrush and toothpaste before going to the bathroom.

Strange. He hadn't remembered leaving the door shut. Oh well.

Aang opened the door and walked right into the bathroom, only to hear a shout of surprise. Shocked that he actually wasn't the only person in the bathroom, Aang turned to see Zuko just stepping out of the tub. His first acknowledgement was that Zuko was naked as a newborn. His second was that Zuko was dripping wet... and then, it hit him. Like a ton of bricks.

_Oh..._ he thought to himself. _That's what he didn't want me to see..._

It was Zuko, and yet not Zuko. He was still humanoid in shape, but a few things had been altered. Aang first gazed at the rusalka's eyes before raking down over his body. Everything was 'in tact', so to speak. He was mostly the same. Aside from that, the teen seemed to have grown paler (which may have been attributed to the fact that Aang had just scared the bejeezus out of him). Fine patches of tiny, round fish-like scales covered various parts of his lithe body. His fingers, with the familiar claws were clasped around the sides of his neck, as if to hide something from view.

Dropping toothbrush and toothpaste he'd been holding on the floor, Aang leaned forward. As he walked forward, he reached a hand out to Zuko's neck. The rusalka retreated backward, an expression of mortification crossing over his visage.

"No!" he exclaimed, backing up until the backs of his legs hit the edge of the tub. He fell in, and Aang had to admit that the way he fell looked painful. "Why are you in here?!"

Aang stepped forward, "I didn't hear you come back. I didn't know you were in here," he murmured, not entirely paying attention to what he was saying. He dropped to his knees by the tub and leaned forward. Zuko had nowhere to go this time when Aang reached toward the hands he kept tightly clasped around the sides of his throat. Aang carefully tugged his hands away to find something which he'd neither expected nor not expected. Gills. Small, and dainty, barely there, but they were definitely gills.

Aang stared in wonderment at the strange attributes, eliciting an embarrassed blush from Zuko. Zuko glared off to the side, ashamed to have been seen this way by Aang.

"You shouldn't be in here."

Aang gripped Zuko's chin and turned his face so that he was forced to look at the younger teen, "I'll be wherever I damned well please. Remember what I said about secrets?"

Zuko looked away again, but this time he looked down instead of to the side. Aang jerked his face back up toward him.

"Look at me."

As if Zuko could deny the demand. He glared, "What do you want from me?"

"Honesty."

"Well, you have it now, don't you?!"

"I don't know. Do I?" Aang snapped, obviously ruffled by Zuko's attitude.

Zuko looked away submissively, "Yes."

"Look," Aang said, leaning forward until his forehead rested on Zuko's, "I don't know why you're so upset about this. I don't have a problem with it. You're my friend, Zuko. I like every part of you. What kind of friend would I be if I could accept that you're just a little bit different? It's what inside that I care about, not the outside."

Zuko harrumphed in reply.

"Don't you humph at me," Aang warned. Solemn amber eyes met stubborn silver, and the raw emotion as their eyes met hit Aang hard. Aang broke the eye contact as he said, "I don't expect you to just accept me. I know it's not that easy for you, but I thought I've been pretty open with you about whatever you've wanted to know. Is it so bad to want a little bit of a mutual understanding? All I ask for is a chance."

The locked eyes again, and at first nothing happened. They merely stared into one another's eyes. Finally, after what felt like an eternity twice over to Aang, Zuko slowly, but surely nodded.

"Okay."

Aang smiled. He threw his arms around the rusalka in a heartfelt embrace, and also forgetting that Zuko was completely nude. Zuko hadn't forgotten, though, and thus sat awkwardly until he just patted Aang's shoulder. An expression of shock spread across his face. He jumped backward with a furious blush burning his cheeks a shade of red that Zuko didn't often see a face turn to (and admittedly, he like the look of it).

"S-sorry!" he shouted, embarrassed. "I-I'll let you get dressed!"

He ran out of the bathroom before Zuko could gaze upon that abashed face for even a moment longer. Zuko was slightly disappointed to see him go.

* * *

When the rusalka emerged from the bathroom, Aang noted that he could still see the remains of fading gills on either side of his neck. He silently wondered if he might have seen the gills the day before as well, and simply had not registered it. When they were so far faded, they weren't easy to notice unless he was looking for him. He'd gathered by this point that Zuko's form changed when he made contact with water.

That was why he'd always been meticulously sure to dry himself and would take so long in the shower. He kind of hoped that now that his secret was out, he'd take shorter showers.

Zuko walked over to the bed and flopped down on his side, arms spread out in an eagle position. He stared up at the ceiling dazedly. Aang reached down and touched his gills, now almost completely faded. Zuko jolted at the contact and stared up at him in question.

"Just curious," he murmured in awe, "I've never seen gills on anything but a fish before."

Zuko snorted and looked away. Aang laid down on the bed, curling up beside him.

"I think they're beautiful."

Caught off guard, Zuko glanced back at Aang, "Huh?"

"You make gills look so beautiful," Aang replied, fingers still resting where the gills had now faded away.

Zuko reached a hand up, with full intentions of pulling Aang's hand away, but when they made skin contact, he ended up changing his mind. He let it rest there. Aang held his other hand out and ghosted his fingers over Zuko's cheek. This time, Zuko grabbed his hand and pulled both of Aang's hands away.

He fixed Aang with a stern look, "This isn't like you. Why are you so touchy-feely?"

Zuko watched as a feeling of wanting filled those silver pools, "I don't know."

Zuko's brows furrowed. He dropped Aang's hands and rolled over so that his back faced Aang.

"What are you doing?" Aang asked, poking his mid-back.

"Going to sleep."

"So soon?"

Zuko didn't answer.

* * *

Zuko was in utter disbelief, to say the _least_. He really hadn't expected Aang to respect his space as he'd subtly requested, but he also hadn't expected for Aang to be literally on top of him when he woke up. Which, yes, is what had happened. Aang was laying on top of him, sound asleep. One part of him was upset that he hadn't respected his space, but another was very pleased with Aang's company and proximity. He was at war with himself.

He ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

_At least he's cute._

Zuko froze at shock at his own admonishment. Had he _really _just thought that?!... Yes... Yes, he had...

Aang's face contorted as he began to awaken. His nose twitched and his eyebrows knit together, and then one of his eyes opened ever so slightly. He didn't seem aware of his surroundings, but then his eyes opened fully when he noticed Zuko beneath him.

"Oh! I'm sorry," he said in shock, "you could have, uh, just pushed me off, you know!"

"I don't mind," Zuko reply with a peaceful smile.

He quirked a brow, "But last night-"

"I'm over it."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Zuko averted his eyes, "so. Breakfast?"

Aang nodded eagerly. Zuko would take that as an affirmative.

* * *

After a quick shower, Zuko emerged from the bathroom, and for once he was dripping wet. Aang smirked as he realized that Zuko had been trying to be considerate of Aang's impatience. He stood from the bed and grabbed the towel that Zuko had casually slung over a shoulder.

"Here, let me help you with that," he said, gingerly patting the sides of his neck dry. Zuko appeared to freeze up as the towel touched the gills there, and Aang briefly toyed with the idea that they were possibly quite sensitive before tossing the idea out the window. No need for impure thoughts.

"Thanks," Zuko murmured as the gills faded from existence.

Aang dropped the towel into a laundry basket that was placed by the bathroom door, then grabbed some complementary day clothes from a table adjacent to the basket. The clothes the hotel provided were a little dorky, in his opinion, but it wasn't as if he was going to run into anyone he knew in this city so far away from his current home.

_At least I hope so._

He shook his head. It was shower time, not worrying time.

* * *

Aang could tell that the two of them were slipping into a habit of eating fast food every day. It didn't really bother him any, except that fast food restaurants didn't often serve vegetarian options that offered sufficient nutrients. He figured that so long as they didn't continue eating that way for an extended amount of time, though, that he'd be okay.

They were sitting in the window seats of a Burger King, a table for two. Aang was daydreaming with his eyes set off in the distance through the window, but Zuko had his own intently set on Aang's face. "Something bothering you?" the raven-haired teen asked.

"Nothing," he murmured. His fries had remained mostly untouched, and he'd only eaten a few of his apple slices. Zuko stared harder at him, if that was possibly. Aang was finally forced to look back at Zuko, "I'm fine. Really."

Seemingly satisfied by Aang's answer for now, Zuko gave him a reluctant smile. Aang returned it in kind.

* * *

That day, they took a walk through the city itself. Zuko informed Aang that they were in a city that held tourism highly, and thus it had a lot of different things to offer- from an amusement park, to a strip mall, to tattoo shops. Aang was interested by the mention of a tattoo shop, but he gave up the thought when he remembered his parents. They'd already be upset that he wasn't home when they returned, so it would probably not be a good idea to return not only late, but also covered in tattoos.

Zuko, who knew that something was eating at Aang, but had no idea what, observed him calculatingly. He anticipated that eventually, Aang would crack. That was assuming Aang didn't give up on his bullheadedness and admit to Zuko why he was so upset. Memories of how Aang had claimed he was open with Zuko echoed in his mind, and he'd be lying if he claimed he wasn't at least a little spiteful about it.

Conflicts were soon forgotten, though, as they got caught up in the amusement the city provided. They first went to the amusement park Zuko had mentioned, which admittedly freaked Zuko out. He didn't let it show, but Zuko hated having any more than two feet of empty air between his feet and solid ground (or some water, as it were). Needless to say, he and roller coasters didn't get along.

He was able to endure it for Aang, though. The boy was having the time of his life, lost in his element. After they'd ridden every roller coaster twice, they left the amusement park. It was late noon when they started heading back to the hotel to get some lunch from the lobby. Lunch essentially consisted of leftover breakfast foods, most of the soggy, stale, cold, etc. They didn't care.

Zuko watched Aang eat, and occasionally fussed over him. He'd long since found out about Aang's vegetarianism, but that didn't mean he was okay with it. He'd voiced many a time before that he'd prefer if Aang wasn't a vegetarian, because it would be much easier for Aang to get nutrition. To his displeasure, Aang was like a brick wall when it game to swaying him- he wouldn't even budge a centimeter.

"Zuko, quit fawning over me," Aang snapped and sarcastically continued, "I can take care of myself quite well, thanks."

He was starting to get just a little irritated with how Aang was putting up an attitude, "I have a right to worry about you, Aang," he snapped right back, "remember what you said about needing to trust each other? It goes both ways."

Aang's response was to freeze up at the realization that Zuko was right. Dropping the fork he'd been holding, but not using, Aang stood from his seat. The chair leg gave a high squelch against the linoleum floor, and it drew the attention of the few other occupants in the room. Either he was oblivious to this, or he chose to ignore him, because he walked out of the lobby without a backward glance.

For a moment, Zuko didn't do anything. He watched as his friend rounded the corner to take the elevator up to their shared room. They both had a room key, so he wasn't in the least worried about getting locked out. He wanted to give Aang a cool-down period before he tried talking to him again.

* * *

It was back to the drawing boards for Aang. He'd slipped up, and now he'd no doubt have to patch things up. He didn't understand why he'd tried so hard to hide from Zuko the fact that he was so terrified of his parents, or why he was still being difficult. Aang knew he was being difficult. He felt guilty for demanding so much of Zuko when he'd not even bothered to try giving him the same in return. The words he had spoken were hollow.

_KNOCK, KNOCK._

"Aang, can I come in please?"

"No," Aang shouted back rhetorically. A small part of him hoped that Zuko would just go away, but if Zuko wasn't being as persistent as he always was, then something was wrong. As he expected, Zuko barged right in.

"This is my room, too," he offered the halfhearted explanation. Aang looked away from him. Zuko sat down on the bed beside Aang, "I understand that you're upset. It's normal to get upset. Actually, it would be weird if you weren't upset right now," he said, which got Aang to smile, if only a little, "I just want you to know that you don't have to hold it all in. It's like you told me last night. Friends wouldn't keep secrets from each other. If this is about your parents," Zuko said, seemingly hitting a landmine as Aang glared up at him, "then I know how that feels all too well."

"What would you know about family problems?!" Aang demanded, guilt forgotten.

The rusalka didn't back down, "In rusalka hierarchy, family conduct is very different from that of human families. Above all else, the good of the people as a whole comes first. Not even children come before that. His duty was what my father always considered most important."

Aang fiddled with the fabric of the comforter as a feeling of uncertainty filled the pit of his stomach. He didn't think he liked where Zuko's speech was going.

Zuko grabbed Aang's hand, as if he was in need of comfort before he spoke again. When Aang looked into Zuko's eyes, he was astonished to find that Zuko wasn't even seeing him. It was as if he was staring right through him, lost in a memory. Aang cleared his throat.

"What happened?"

Brought out of his reverie, the teen's eyes came into focus on Aang's face, "At the age of thirteen, my father ordered for me to be executed, in consequence of speaking out of line."

Aang felt his lower jaw drop, which elicited a dark-humored smirk on Zuko's part.

"Harsh, I know," he laughed, "his only son, sent to be executed without trial. When my uncle found out about my father's intentions, he raised holy hell. He'd stormed into the throne room in all his royal dignity, and demanded to know what the meaning of my father's choice was before the guards had even gotten the chance to drag me out of there. They argued for hours over what should be done about me, and eventually Uncle Iroh convinced my father to reduce my punishment to a mere banishment. He chose to leave with me, but he isn't banished as I am. He's simply that powerful of a member in our society."

Aang could tell that Zuko had gotten sidetracked and lost in his own awe over his uncle's amazing feats. He allowed Zuko this moment, though. After the mirth faded, Aang sighed.

"Okay, you're right. I was in the wrong."

Zuko shot him a questioning look. Evidently, he'd forgotten what they'd been arguing about.

Aang squeezed Zuko's hand, which up until then he'd forgotten he'd been holding, "I should have been more up front about things. I've told you before about how I'm a military brat, and how my parents wanted me to be in ROTC and follow in my father's footsteps. I wasn't completely honest with you back then," he paused, gathering what it was he wanted to say. He found himself beating around the bush, "it's not an uncommon occurrence in families involved with the military for soldiers or veterans to be overbearing. It's pretty much expected to happen."

"What are you getting at?" Zuko encouraged as his brows knitted downward in concentration.

"My father was one of those types of parents. He was overbearing, and manipulative, and he always had a 'my-way-or-the-highway' attitude about life."

Zuko had already gathered this long ago. He didn't understand why this was important, but he could see Aang struggling with his next words.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me, Aang. You've been honest enough already."

Briefly, Aang was reluctant to concede, but after a moment he just nodded. He released Zuko's hand and laid down on the bed, rolling to where he was facing toward the window.

"I need a nap."

* * *

**You may notice that I've been pretty subtle with affections between Aang and Zuko. I didn't want to rush them into a relationship, and have them instantly all over each other (I find that approach distasteful), so I wanted it to be a gradual buildup- like with a real relationship.**

**Reviews and input are welcomed. I'd love to know whether my method has been ideal or tedious.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Omg, this chapter is such a damn monstrosity. Just saying. I can't decide whether to kick up the rating to mature or not. You'll see. I'm so evil.**

* * *

By midnight, neither Aang nor Zuko were able to sleep. Aang had been tossing and turning repeatedly in his sleep, from nightmare after nightmare. It wasn't just a one time thing like it normally was, either. Every time Aang tried to fall back into blissful oblivion, his unconsciousness was filled with terrifying nightmares. After the fifth time of the instance occurring, Aang rejected any suggestions from Zuko to go back to sleep.

They both lay there, silently, until Aang said to Zuko, "He was abusive."

Completely taken off guard and lost for words, Zuko murmured, "Wha...?"

"Still is, from time to time," Aang continued, ignoring Zuko's confusion, "The first time it happened was when I was five years old. To this day, I'm not sure what instigated that firs time. I'd just been talking to my mother about a dream I had the night before, and that's when she called my dad into the room. She told my father what I'd said, and she spoke in such a way that made it sound like it had been a sin for me to dream that way."

Zuko remained silent. He was laying beside Aang, head rolled to the side to make direct eye contact with him.

"Next thing I knew, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. My father had called me a monster, and then I saw that big hand coming down..."

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Zuko whispered, worried that Aang was hurting himself by talking about it so abruptly.

Aang shook his head, "I _need_ to talk about this. You were right to get angry at me for not talking about it. I might be hurting myself talking about it, but it will hurt more to keep it all locked inside."

He was resigned to Aang's decisions when he saw the stubbornness in his eyes. Aang was completely intent on the decision to be honest and forthcoming, right then, right there.

"The first time wasn't the worst of them. It was only the beginning. After that, he'd do it every once in a while. Just smack me, and I never would know the reason why. It wasn't a really serious issue at first. One good smack, and I'd have a bruise on my face for a while, but I'd grown accustomed to it."

It was already getting painful for Zuko just listening to Aang's story. He could only imagine the inner turmoil the boy was going through as he recounted the events of his life aloud.

"On my seventh birthday, I didn't get any presents. It didn't bother me, because my entire seven year life, I'd never received one present for even one special event. My parents never saw the importance. The only present I'd wanted on my seventh birthday was for my parents not to hit me. I didn't get that."

His heart fell into his stomach. Zuko knew he felt it. He was building up a very intense loathing for the parents he'd never met. It took every ounce of self control he had not to wrap Aang's frail body in his arms and promise that he'd track them down and put them through every moment of pain they'd put him through. As it was, he couldn't keep himself from hugging Aang then and there.

Aang's voice grew weaker when he spoke, "It got worse on my birthday. Instead of leaving me alone for once, my father became even more abusive. He did such horrible things, and my mother only watched from the doorway. We were in the kitchen on the morning of my birthday. I remember, there was a cake on the counter. I remember because when he stripped me naked on the counter, he covered me in it."

Zuko tightened his hold around Aang's body, cringing at what Aang was about to admit to. He anticipated that it would be gruesome, but the sheer gravity of what Aang described as he explained made the older teen's body shake with rage.

"He did _what_?!" he hissed dangerously.

"He raped me," Aang's voice shook as he spoke in a much more hushed tone, "with the knife he used to cut the cake with. After he cut me open, he raped me again, only he didn't use the knife the second time. I didn't scream the whole time, even though it hurt, but when I started to cry, he slammed my head into the counter. When he was done, he backhanded me before he zipped up his pants and left.

"I was bleeding out. They couldn't take me to the hospital, because the doctors would know that something was suspicious. My mom's a doctor. She sewed me up after my father was done with me. She stole painkillers from the hospital for me, so the pain wasn't as bad. I was bedridden for months. For a long period of that due to the fact that I was still healing, but in the latter portion I was just too scared to get out of the bed."

Throughout the explanation, the tremors racking through Zuko's body became more and more violent until Aang shook too, simply because the teen was hugging him so tightly. He could practically hear the rusalka's teeth as they grit together. Aang was scared. He'd never seen Zuko so angrily seething, and the way his amber eyes flashed life the embers of raging flames didn't soothe him at all. In spite of this, a portion of Aang was rather smug at how angry Zuko was over his suffering.

"He's dead, Aang."

Aang blinked, incredulously asking, "What?"

There it was again. The flash of fire in his eyes as he made a vow, "He's dead. Your father better pray he never meets me, because if I ever see him, I'm going to fuck him up. I'll rip him to shreds."

The boy, now ever so slightly scared of his friend- no, of how his friend was acting- shrunk down under the covers. He had no doubts in his mind that Zuko could and would. He had to wonder, had he made the right choice in telling Zuko about his father? He hadn't even told Zuko quite the entire extent of what his father did to him, and already Zuko was this pissed off. He decided that by that point, he'd been honest enough for the night.

"We should get some more sleep," Aang suggested, looking back the sun now rising in the window, "it's going to be a long day today."

The tension in Zuko's body evaporated and he nodded. However, he didn't release Aang from the tight hug he held him in. It appeared that he wasn't getting out of Zuko's embrace any time soon. Opting to simply go along with it, Aang reached around Zuko's waist and clasped his hands together to return the embrace.

"Thank you," Aang sighed as things grew quite and monotonous, "you're the first person to truly care about me."

Zuko, who hadn't quite fallen asleep yet, was hurt by the insinuation that no one had cared about Aang before. He leaned his head downward until the side of his face rested on the top of Aang's head.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Come morning time, things picked up a little. Aang and Zuko were feeling much happier after a full night's rest, though the previous night's events still loomed at the back of both of their minds. Carrying on with their daily routines, Zuko eventually voiced his intentions of buying Aang some new clothes. His excuse was that he didn't think the complementary hotel clothes suited him at all, but Aang knew inside that finding out Aang had never been pampered in his life had gotten to him.

Nonetheless, Aang allowed himself to be pampered and fawned over by Zuko.

Zuko took Aang to many different clothing shops throughout the strip mall, but Aang couldn't help that he wasn't too enthused. When prompted to choose clothing, he just pointed at practically the first thing he saw in stores. After this process repeated in the third store in a row, Zuko started to catch on to the fact that Aang didn't really even want the clothes he'd picked. Before they walked into the next store, he tugged the boy aside and sat them at a bench outside the clothing shop.

"You don't really want these clothes, do you?" he asked, holding up the bags of clothes in question. Aang shook his head in the negative. He sighed, "Well, I've already showed you that however much money anything you ask for costs is of no consequence to me. If you want, I can return the closed you've picked out so far, but I want you to honestly choose clothes that you intend to wear from now on."

Aang nodded blankly, "I'll just stay here while you return the clothes," he claimed, indicating the bench they were currently occupying.

Zuko was a little displeased by the prospect of leaving Aang all by his lonesome, but conceded upon the condition that Aang didn't wander off from the spot he was in. Aang, of course, had rolled his eyes, and commented that he didn't even know where he could possible go.

* * *

Aang watched as Zuko stalked off to return the clothes he hadn't even wanted. He felt a little guilty about taking his friend around on a wild goose chase to please him, but he still often felt reluctant to accept affections and gifts, as Zuko was trying to give him. Despite the many months they had known each other, he was still scared that if he started to get any more attached than he'd already gotten, then something would go terribly wrong.

Such was only to be expected after all that had happened. Normally, he wouldn't have been thinking about his past, but after opening up to Zuko about it, all the emotions bottled up were raw and in the open with all the secrets that had been revealed.

"Excuse me."

Aang looked up to see a familiar face that he hadn't expected to see so far from home. His eyes widened as he realized that he was seeing correctly.

"Katara?!"

"Aang?!"

Evidently, she hadn't been expecting to run into him either. Aang was quite confused.

"What are you doing here?" Aang asked.

She snorted at the question, "I could ask _you_ the same thing! _ I'm_ here on a school field trip."

The boy averted his eyes nervously, which he was sure would look suspicious on his part, but he couldn't suppress the action, "Oh... uh..."

"Okay, Aang, I returned the- Katara?!"

"Zuko?!" Katara cried incredulously. If possible, she seemed even more surprised by the revelation that Zuko was also there. She stared at him, and then demanded, "What are you doing with Aang here so far away from Republic City? You do realize that today is a school day, right?"

Zuko, who didn't appear in the least bothered by Katara's demands, rolled his eyes, "Cool it. The old man waived our absences, so neither of us are taking a penalty for being here."

This was news to Aang, but he refrained from commenting. It could be Zuko's cover-up, so he didn't want to blow Zuko's cover. On the other hand, Zuko's uncle _was_ pretty well acquainted with Principal Bumi.

The brunette girl harrumphed in defeat, "Very well. Then answer me this: what are you doing with Aang at the _strip mall_?"

Aang looked to Zuko in distress. He didn't show that Katara had gotten to her yet. He simply smirked, "What else would I be doing? Aang here forgot to pack his clothes, so I'm buying him new ones."

"Oh," Katara said dumbly, then quickly recovered, "mind if I tag along? I was meaning to check out the clothes at the strip mall anyway."

"This is a men's clothing shop," Zuko protested reluctantly, but weakly. Aang could tell that he was losing steam.

"Pants for Sokka," she claimed in retaliation.

Defeated, the black haired teen heaved an aggravated sigh, "Fine. You can tag along for a little while."

Katara pumped her fist triumphantly, "Ha!" she cheered with a smile.

Zuko wilted at the prospect of spending even five more minutes near her.

_This is for Aang... This is for Aang... _he chanted to himself, like one would do with a mantra.

* * *

Somehow, Zuko had eventually managed to talk Aang into actually picking clothes he liked, rather than the first ones he saw. Begrudgingly, he had to give some of the credit to Katara, as she was a lot more convincing than he was. He figured it was just a girl thing, or something, because he only ever met girls who were influential in quite the way Katara was.

He really didn't want to have to explain to Katara why and how he paid for a room at the such an expensive hotel, so he profusely thanked the spirits when she informed him and Aang that she had to meet up with the rest of her class to tour an art museum. They parted ways, but not before the brunette girl wrote down her phone number on a slip of paper and handed it to Aang, insisting that he call her bed in order to tell her all about how his day went.

Zuko was... agitated... by how friendly she acted with Aang, to say the least. The way the agitation felt to him was foreign to what he'd grown accustomed to. He tried to ignore her and force himself not to give her the death glare. After she'd run off, Aang turned to Zuko with a look of worry in his eyes.

"You okay?" he asked, patting the back of Zuko's shoulder.

He didn't make eye contact, "Peachy."

Aang frowned and looked away, "Well, if you say so," he muttered, then as Zuko started walking away, asked in a slight panic, "where are you going?!"

"Back to the hotel."

Aang had to run in order to catch up with Zuko's brisk pace (one of the advantages of being taller, he supposed).

* * *

Zuko was on the bed. Aang was one the bed. Neither of them spoke. They'd been like this for about an hour already. The silence had begun after Aang confronted Zuko about, quote en quote, "Having a stick up his ass around Katara." Zuko, by default, had done the only thing he could think of: deny, deny, deny. Spirits knew what would happen if Aang found out that the reason Zuko had given his friend the cold shoulder was because he was _jealous_.

He perked up a little when he heard an annoyed huff from the younger boy. Zuko peeked over his shoulder to see Aang turning toward him, "Really, Zuko. I just want my friends to get along. Is that too much to ask for?"

"No_._" _Yes!_

Aang crossed his arms in a somewhat adorable pout, "Then what was with all the glaring? Don't deny it anymore. I know what I saw."

He didn't reply.

"Zuko..."

"It's not important," Zuko muttered, hoping that it would allow him to evade any further prying.

"It is to me, so tell me."

Damn. Guess not. Zuko crossed his arms in a similar fashion to the way Aang did, "You're not going to like me so much if I tell you."

"I'm a forgiving person."

"You won't be this time."

"Yes, I _will_."

"Nope."

"Yes!"

The younger boy grabbed up the pillow behind him and with all the strength he had (which wasn't saying much), he threw it at Zuko's face. When the pillow fell into his lap, Zuko simply glared for a moment. In that moment, Aang shrunk away, scared that he'd finally pissed Zuko off.

"Do you want to know why I was being so mean to Katara?" he asked angrily, though the anger wasn't directed toward Aang, but rather the compromising situation. Aang nodded. "I was jealous."

Aang was floored. He opened his to mouth to speak, only emitting an indignant squeak. He stopped, took a deep breath, then tried again, "Jealous?!"

"You opened up so much more around her. You really felt comfortable and listened to the things she suggested. It made me feel inferior."

A pregnant pause of quiet and that was it. Aang couldn't hold it in anymore. He just had to laugh, and when he did, he couldn't stop.

"What's so damn funny?!"

"I'm sorry," Aang said between laughs, "it's just that," he broke down laughing again, "it's just I'm not more open with her. I've been friends with you for so much longer, and I've told you things about myself that I've never told anyone else. I just don't understand h-how you could think that even with all that, that I favored Katara over you."

And... he broke down into yet another laughing fit... Zuko, flustered by the revelation, and with a furious blush on his face, threw the pillow Aang had thrown earlier back at him. It him squarely in the face.

"Stop laughing!"

Aang wiped a tear from his eye, "Alright, alright," he stopped. It didn't last long, though, because with a snort and a goofy grin on his face, the laughing fit returned.

The embarrassed older teen tackled him down and relentlessly pummeled him with the pillow. Aang held up his arms over his face to block the weak blows of the pillow.

"Okay, fine! Stop! I surrender!" he shouted through the fury of the pillow warrior.

Zuko dropped the pillow aside, "Hmph," he harrumphed before collapsing lazily on top of Aang.

For a while, Aang just let him lay there, but then he eventually muttered, "Off."

"Dun wanna," Zuko murmured smugly and didn't budge one bit.

"You're gonna wanna."

"How so?" he quirked a brow as he sat up only enough to see Aang's face.

"Because I have to pee. Now get off or I'll pee the bed."

An expression that very closely resembled the epitome of disgust fell over his visage, and then he threw himself off the younger teen as he said, "Ew!"

Aang smirked slyly before he slunk off the bed to use the restroom. After the door closed behind him, Zuko just awkwardly sat on the bed, appalled by the fact that Aang had been so blunt. It had been the first time- ever.

Zuko slapped a hand over his face. _Great going. Admit that your jealous. That will _totally_ fix things._

"Hey, Zuko," Aang said, surprising him, as he'd been lost deep in his thoughts, "I was kinda wondering if I could try on some of the new clothes you got me..."

Unsure of why Aang was asking permission, he replied, "Sure, why not?"

"Well, uh... I wanted to try on those pants I picked, but I uhh..." Aang trailed off, eliciting a raise of the brow from Zuko. In a rush, he said, "Idon'treallyknowhowtoputthemon!"

The rusalka sat in an awkward silence, subsequently saying, "Sorry, I couldn't understand you. Could you repeat that?"

"I don't _know_ how to put the _pants_ on," Aang repeated in an exaggeratedly slow manner.

"Oh," he laughed in surprise, "it's really simple, actually. Go get them from the bag and I'll show you."

Aang did as he was told and brought the pants over to the bed. Zuko took the pants, cargo pants with many chains and straps and other extra junk on them, and held them up to show a full view of them to Aang.

"Let me explain," he said, "see all these straps and junk?" he asked. Aang nodded. "They're just there for show. Ignore them. You put the pants on the same way as you do with regular pants. Easy enough?"

The boy's eyes glowed in understanding, "Ohh!"

Aang snatched the punk style pants from Zuko's hands and jubilantly skipped off to the bathroom.

* * *

A few days later found Zuko hiding in the bathroom. One might ask, from whom? From none other than Aang. Over the past few days, he'd watched as the boy had developed some intense fascination with the form he took whenever he got wet (no innuendos intended), and how Aang become more and more insistingly clingy. Even though he did admittedly get jealous because of all the attention Aang had shown toward Katara, he realized that he didn't like having so much attention as it was. Rather, he wasn't used to it.

Because of this, it was understandable why he cowered further into the water of the tub when he heard a knocking on the bathroom door. That's what he told himself, anyway.

"Zuko! Come on, I just want to touch them!"

"You can't just touch my gills, Aang!" he shouted back, keeping a close eye on the door in fear that Aang might manage to bust it down in a sudden feat of strength.

"... Come on...!"

"No! Go away!"

Zuko was sure to wait until it was completely quiet outside the door to get out of the tub, and even then. When he dried himself off, he was sure to get rid of every last drop of water so that his aquatic form wouldn't bleed through and show.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day hanging out with Katara. It was enjoyable for Aang. Not so enjoyable for Zuko, but what else was new (this, he mused with the utmost of sarcasms)? Since Aang now knew why Zuko was so irritable around Katara, he'd redoubled his efforts to get them to be friends. It wasn't something that either of the two friends in question found pleasant.

Their day together was cut short when Katara reminded them that she had to go to another museum with her class. She bid Aang farewell and took her leave (much to Zuko's pleasure).

They then used the remainder of their day to feed ducks at the park. Slowly but surely, Aang was getting the ducks to warm up to him. The ducks didn't like him anywhere as much as they did Zuko, but it was progress. Aang had begrudgingly jabbed that they probably only liked him so much because he smell like food- what with being a rusalka, and therefore a 'fish-person', in Aang's own words. Zuko had found the complaint quite amusing.

* * *

Before they went to bed, Aang called Katara to talk to her about his day. The whole while, Zuko made faces at everything he said, and claimed that he was going to barf rainbows if Aang got much sappier than he already was being. Aang, of course, shot him a reprimanding stare, and then Zuko had recoiled in shock. Well, mock shock, that is.

As he hung up, Aang turned to fix Zuko with a look which the rusalka could not discern the meaning of. It baffled him that he didn't have any clue as to what the younger teen could be thinking. Eventually, he looked away and simply laid down to sleep. This, without a doubt, baffled Zuko further.

* * *

"Come on, Zuko," Aang begged through the bathroom door, "_please_!"

This was the fifth day _in a row_ that he was having to put up with Aang's odd behavior, and now he'd finally had enough. Zuko stood up, bath water sloshing around his knees as he did. He stepped out of the tub and walked over to the door, then hesitated. He stopped to ask himself which he'd rather put up with: Aang being touchy-feely all over him until he was dry, or Aang incessantly shouting and banging on the door until he was dry.

He opened the door abruptly as he grumbled, "_Fine._"

"Seriously?" Aang's eyes glowed in excitement.

"Yes," he answered, "but under two conditions. One, you aren't allowed to talk if you're going to be all touchy-feely. Two, you have to let me treat you to three meals (of my choosing) any day you insist on embarrassing me while I'm trying to take a shower."

He waited while Aang juggled the pros and cons, then said, "Deal," and closed the door.

Zuko moved to drain the bathwater from the tub and start up the shower. He really didn't want to take a bath or shower with Aang, but if he had to choose, a shower seemed the less awkward of the two. At first, when he got into the shower stream, Aang just stood outside the tub awkwardly. Whilst staring at him, Zuko might have added.

Zuko rolled his eyes and waved his hand in a gesture for Aang to get into the tub, "If you're going to be ogling me all morning, you may as well let me help you wash your back."

He hadn't been expecting this comment to fluster Aang, so when the boy's adorably chubby cheeks reddened to a lovely strawberry shade, he was a bit surprised, and a part of him was also possibly smug about it. That side of him was a portion of the reason why he'd been so bothered by Aang's behavior thus far. He knew that Aang's intentions were innocent, but his own... well, that was a different story.

"Oh," Aang murmured, stripping his clothes off and stepping into the shower with him, "okay, if you say so."

Zuko noted that Aang's initial reaction to him scrubbing his back was to freeze up, but he quickly melted into it and relaxed. He was glad to see that Aang was comfortable enough around him to relax with such displays of affection. Then again, that was more than he could say for himself, as he really didn't like letting Aang mess with his gills. Truthfully, it was more of a sensual type of thing. His gills were very sensitive- in more ways than one.

Firstly, they were something that allowed him to breath, so by consequence there would be a lot of nerve endings in their general area. Thus, they first were very susceptible to pain, even from the slightest pressure, but they were also sensitive to more pleasurable approaches. Essentially, for Zuko, it was a lose-lose situation.

Zuko had known that it was common sense that Aang would want to return the favor if he helped wash his back, but it didn't fully register in his conscious mind. Nonetheless, when Aang tugged the washcloth from his hands and stepped behind him, he froze up nearly as bad as Aang had.

"It's only fair," Aang murmured in response to his reaction.

Zuko stood ramrod straight as he felt the rough surface of the washcloth on his back. Aang was the first. He'd never let anyone so much as stand behind him, but here he was letting Aang return his own favor in kind. Soon, he felt the cloth become replaced by smooth, dainty hands as Aang started massaging his shoulders.

"You're so tense. You need to loosen up sometimes."

"Speak for yourself," Zuko muttered.

"I'm not the one with all the hard knots in my shoulders. You know, laughing would do you some good, right?"

Zuko shook his head, "I don't make a habit of laughing on a daily basis."

"Well, there's your problem."

The rusalka shrugged his shoulders. He didn't feel up to putting up a real argument. Aang's hands began to wander. He'd seen it coming, though. That wasn't to say he didn't freeze up again when he felt warm, slender fingers brushing over the sides of his neck.

"Quit that."

"Nope," his fingers pressed more firmly.

Zuko felt himself relaxing into the touch. He was uncomfortably aware of how strong of an effect Aang was holding over him. Weakened by the boy's exploration, he found himself unable to move as seconds stretched into minutes, until finally he rounded on him. With adept agility, he had Aang pinned to the floor of the tub in one smooth motion, the stream of the hot shower hitting the back of his head and flowing down around his face. He stared down at Aang with eyes that he wouldn't have normally looked at him with. He was suddenly seeing the boy through a new light, and a voice in the back of his head was crying that wherever he was going, it wasn't good.

The boy stared up at him, still in amazement by how quickly Zuko had moved, and not entirely registering the fact that he was effectively pinned and at the will of the rusalka.

"Z-... Zuko...?"

Zuko planted his hands on either side of the boy's head, and leaned down until his nose touched against his shoulder. He breathed in deeply, and then reeled back, as if stung.

His eyes lost the shine of animosity they'd taken on, and they dulled back down to the subdued amber they usually were. Zuko cleared his throat, standing up to distance himself as far from the boy as possible, "You should be more careful."

* * *

He watched Zuko leave the bathroom in a hurry and slam the door behind himself. He slapped his hand to his chest to feel his heart hammering three times its normal speed. The shower was still on.

He finished washing himself, but still sat pitifully inside the tub- admittedly a little scared of a confrontation with Zuko. It was his own fault, though. He'd played with fire and instigated a reaction.

It was when Aang got out o the tub to dry off that he realized he didn't have any clothes to put on. He'd been so insistent on getting into the bathroom with Zuko that he hadn't thought to grab any clothes when the rusalka had sprung the invitation to get into the tub with him. He internally cursed himself for his one-track mind.

By this point, there was nothing he could do about it except wrap a towel around his body in a half-ass attempt to show some decency while he scampered around to find some clothes to put on. Upon exiting the bathroom, he was immediately aware of a pair of smoldering amber eyes set on him. It took all his self-control not to look at the rusalka.

Aang rummaged around, unsure of where he'd left the clothes Zuko bought him. There was a sudden heat radiating onto his back, and he knew that it could only be from the proximity that Zuko had now put between them. He couldn't hold back a shudder from how close he was.

"They're not over here," Zuko muttered over Aang's shoulder, "I moved them last night."

The boy gulped, very nervous, "I noticed."

Zuko didn't add anything, and for a while Aang didn't, either.

"Well, are you gonna show me where you moved them or not?"

"Yeah."

The heat on his back left. Aang finally turned around to see Zuko stalking off to the other side of the room in all his rusalka glory. Zuko produced some clothes from the shopping bags by the bed. Aang recognized the pants as the ones he'd been having trouble putting on. The shirt was a simple rock band tee.

"These good?"

Aang nodded and grabbed the clothes from his hands, but accidentally brushed hands with Zuko. He shivered again. Aang turned on his heel and walked as quickly as he could without running to the bathroom.

* * *

Zuko frowned in displeasure. He was displeased with himself. He'd caused things to become awkward between him and Aang, and he now feared that Aang was growing to hate him within less than an hour. It was all his fault.

* * *

**Okay, so this story was going great and all... but all of that changed when the fire nation attacked!**

**But jokes aside, I really have kinda gotten sidetracked, and I'm not sure if the story's going right at the moment. I'd seriously love some input on what I should do.**

**Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like this fanfiction is spiraling downward.**

**Uhh... You know what? I should put this under 'crack'. Seriously.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay! After the long wait, I'm finally posting chapter 10! ;D**

* * *

Katara was very confused. Not five minutes ago, Zuko had confided in her that he was in a fight with Aang. Zuko didn't even like talking to her, so the fact that he'd speak to her about his personal problems with Aang was extremely peculiar. To top things off, now _Aang_ was talking to her about the same damn thing!

From what the brunette had gathered, Zuko thought that the fight was his fault, but ironically enough, Aang was telling her about how he thought he himself was the one who caused the fight. It wasn't a stretch to say that they technically weren't even in a fight. They just _thought_ they were. If they'd only talk to each other, Katara was absolutely certain that they'd be back to being best friends again.

"So then I got in the shower with him-"

"Wait," Katara said, something in her mind clicking, "you got in the _shower_ with him? And he just let you do it?!"

With an unsure expression, the boy nodded. Katara smacked her forehead.

"Spirits! You two are such idiots!" she shouted.

Alarmed, Aang cried, "W-what?!"

"Listen," Katara rolled her eyes, "I'm going to put this in laymen's terms for you. _You're not fighting_. Far from it. The fact that he let you (a boy) get in the shower with him is one testament to that statement. I'm sorry, but boys don't just take showers with each other, unless they're in prison."

Aang grew more confused, "Uhh... what are you saying exactly?"

"Zuko," she said, putting emphasis on his name, and every next syllable as she spoke, "is. not. mad. at. you."

"If he's not mad at me, then why is he acting this way?!" Aang demanded incredulously.

Katara sighed, "He _likes_ you, you dimwit."

Aang was floored by the insult to his intelligence, and so he was distracted from the revelation until it sunk in. He paused in thought, still trying to wrap his mind around it until he exclaimed, "What?!"

"What part of the phrase 'he likes you' don't you understand? I didn't even use two syllable words," she replied, voice heavy with sarcasm.

Aang shook his head, mouth agape, "No, no, I understood you, it's just Zuko doesn't like me. He can't like me."

She stared at him uncertainly, "Oh, yes, he can. What you don't know is that not too long ago, Zuko- Zuko!- came to talk to me about the exact same thing you're talking about right now. He thought that you were angry at him. Face it. He likes you."

"Hey, sorry for the wait. There was a long line for the snow cones, you wouldn't believe-... what's going on? Why are you two so quiet?"

They both turned to see Zuko, trying to hold three snow cones without dropping them, looking back and forth between Katara and Aang. He made a face.

"I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"Actually, you're just in time, Zuko," Katara declared triumphantly, "how about you tell Aang here about how worried you were all morning that he hates you now?"

Zuko blinked as he dropped the snow cones, and the flavored ice desserts splattered all over his shoes. It was probably the clumsiest thing that Katara and Aang had ever seen him do.

"You told him?!"

"Does it really matter? He feels the same way-"

"I trusted you!"

"Zuko, shut up and listen to me! Quit messing with your shoes!" she shouted as the older boy bent over to make an attempt at cleaning his shoes off. "Mess with that later. I'm trying to tell you that you and Aang have been upset over nothing. It was a big misunderstanding, so you two can just kiss and make up now."

She smirked cheekily at her own joke, and it was evident that she'd flustered both the boys, as they made eye contact with each other before looking away with reddened cheeks. Katara rolled her eyes as she muttered to herself about how they were such innocent little virgins.

"I-I am not a virgin!" Zuko retaliated, the blush on his face deepening.

Katara placed her hands on her sides and cocked her hip to the left, "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you had Mai as your cover-up, but let's just be honest here, Zuko. She and you haven't even hit first base."

Aang, who'd been watching the display in mild fascination, asked, "Zuko has a girlfriend? I never met her."

"Well, not really," she clarified, "anyone with a brain- which is rare in our school- knows that they only say they're dating so that nobody asks them out. Both of them had issues with it, so they came to a mutual understanding and announced to the entire school populace that they were 'going steady'. Truthfully, they only hold hands, and they don't hang out. You didn't meet her at school because she was on a business trip with her father. She'll be back whenever you two go back to school."

"I think I can tell Aang about my own personal life well enough on my own, thanks," Zuko grumbled.

"But you didn't," she pointed out, "you've known each other for _how_ many months, and he _still_ doesn't know about Mai? Honestly, Zuko. I understand that you don't actually like her, but don't pretend you don't know she exists. I think she'd be a little offended to know."

Rather than putting up further arguments against her accusations, Zuko said, "Aang. We're going home."

"Don't you mean back to the hotel?" Aang attempted to correct Zuko.

"No. Home. We're going back to Republic City," he insisted.

Katara laughed, "Isn't that a little brash? All I did was tell Aang about your girlfriend, and now you've gotten your panties into a knot," as she said this, Aang laughed at the insinuation that Zuko wore panties (though he knew Zuko didn't). Zuko scoffed at the statement. "My class doesn't go home for another three days. Just go home and think on it, and if you still want to leave in the morning, then leave. I just request that I get to see Aang before you leave."

Zuko glared at her, but Aang answered for him, "We'll be sure to do that," he gave Zuko a glare of his own, "won't we?"

A little shocked by Aang's sudden display of dominance, Zuko nodded dumbly.

"Good," he smiled. Zuko melted.

Katara rolled her eyes, "Idiots. Get yourselves back to your hotel. The sun is setting."

Sure enough, it was. Oh, how the time flies.

* * *

Aang lay idly on the bed, arms thrown out in an eagle position. He was daydreaming.

"Wow," he murmured, "you have a girlfriend."

His friend scoffed, "Hardly. Katara was pretty much spot on by what she said. We don't go on dates, we don't kiss, and we only hold hands. Usually, we don't even hang out after school. The only reason we're together is for appearances. That, and she knows what life's like for me. I mean, aside from school."

Aang sat up to gaze in question at Zuko, "She's a rusalka, too?"

"No."

He waited for an elaboration on the answer, but when there was none, he fell back into his laying position on the bed. Aang sighed, "What did you ever see in me, anyway?"

"A kind, strong heart," he replied without missing a beat.

Aang gaped, "Liar."

"Nope."

"Why don't you come over here?" Aang asked, patting the empty spot on the bed.

Zuko was all the way on the other side of the room, for no particular reason. He was seated in a fancy looking armchair by the window. He didn't even bat an eyelash at Aang's suggestion.

Aang scowled, "Zuko, quit moping over there and get your ass in the bed."

For the second time in one day, Zuko was surprised by Aang's behavior. He floundered in the chair, like a fish out of water, "Huh?"

"You heard me. Get your _ass_ in the _bed_," he said slowly.

Zuko felt awkward. Certainly, Aang didn't know what he'd accidentally implied in that demand he'd made. Still, Zuko was shamelessly affected by it in ways he wouldn't admit to Aang.

"Don't make me drag you over here."

"Fine, fine, I'm coming," he said quickly as he saw that Aang was serious when he started to stand up from the bed. Zuko slowly approached the bed, wary of why Aang might want him to sit next to him all of a sudden.

"There. That's better," Aang said smugly after Zuko finally settled down in his spot by him on the bed, "was that so hard?" he asked rhetorically.

Though he'd not wanted an answer, Zuko replied, "Yes." Aang frowned at him, and he smoothly quipped, "Don't ask a question you don't want an answer to if you don't want to hear an answer you don't like."

Unfortunately, Aang didn't have a witty remark for that one, so he kept his mouth shut. Then, an idea came to him. A gloriously horrid but tantalizing idea. And he was feeling venturous.

Zuko's eyes widened as Aang climbed on top of him, "W-Wh-wha... What are you doing?!"

"What does it look like? I'm sitting on you."

"I see that. Why?"

Aang leaned down, "You did the same thing this morning to me. Remember?"

Zuko pursed his lips and looked away, "I've already made it clear that I didn't mean to do that."

The boy pouted, "Funny. Katara said otherwise."

"Katara was wrong."

Aang grew quiet, then eventually asked in a small voice, "... You don't like me...?"

"No!" he snapped, only realizing too late the error he'd made.

The pain and rejection on Aang's face was as clear as day, and Zuko instantly regretted snapping at him.

"Aang-"

"I don't want to hear it," Aang said, then got off the bed and went to the bathroom. Inside the bathroom, Aang closed the door and leaned against it, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. He stared up at the mirror, though he was unable to see his reflection from the floor. He didn't cry. It wasn't manly to cry, or so he told himself. He didn't even know why it bothered him so much.

_It's not like a like him that way. Do I...?_

* * *

Zuko angrily slammed his fist down into the bedside table. The abuse to the furniture made a crack, and he knew he'd have to pay for it when they left the hotel, but he didn't care.

"Spirits, Katara was right. I _am_ an idiot."

He gave Aang and himself some time to cool down, but soon couldn't wait any longer to try to talk to him. Zuko knocked on the bathroom door.

"Aang, can you please let me in?"

No reply. Zuko started to get worried.

"Aang, please open the door."

Still no reply. Zuko started to get more frantic.

"Aang, open the door _right now_, or I'll break it down!"

When for the third time in a row, there was not even a small sound from the other side of the door, Zuko lost it. He stepped back, then rammed into the door, and had broken it down in no time (may as well add a broken door to Zuko's fees upon leaving the hotel). Inside the bathroom, passed out on the floor was Aang. His initial thought was that Aang was going into some sort of fit induced by his heritage as a spirit walker, but upon closer inspection he found this not to be true. Aang had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion.

He sighed in relief and leaned over to pick Aang up. As he did, he heard the boy mumbling in his sleep, under his breath. He couldn't hear anything exact, but he did hear the boy say his name. This, of course, made his heart clench a little.

_What a great friend I am! _This thought was, of course, laced with heavy sarcasm.

* * *

Upon waking, Aang found himself in a position he hadn't encountered before, and it flummoxed him to no end. They were cuddling. Aang, friend to a proverbial rock wall, Zuko, was cuddling with said friend (and never mind that Zuko was nicer to Aang than others, it was still strange). He didn't know when he'd gotten out of the bathroom, or how he ended up cuddling Zuko, but when he looked over to the bathroom to see the door broken down, he formed his own ideas of what had happened last night.

After a few attempts at pushing the older teen off, he found that he was about as immovable as the rock wall he often compared him to. He decided he'd just lay there for a while and _attempt_ to enjoy it. He refused to admit that he liked being near Zuko a lot more than he was letting on.

It was a couple hours later when Zuko finally did start to awaken. By then, Aang had pretty much gotten comfortable, and had been enjoying the warmth until the black haired teen sat up and robbed him of it.

"You're awake."

Aang ignored the fact that Zuko had pointed out what was quite obvious, "Yes. I am."

"About last night-"

"I know. I overreacted," Aang interrupted, then was interrupted by Zuko.

"No, I overreacted. I didn't mean to tell you that I don't like you. I was upset about Katara, and I snapped and took it out on you and..." Zuko trailed off, "and it was wrong," he finished lamely.

"Eh," Aang shrugged, "it was a mistake. Everyone makes them. Doesn't bother me," _much, _he finished in his head.

"It did bother me," Zuko said, "what Katara said yesterday. It got to me because I do like you. I like you a lot. More than just as friends."

"So, as best friends?" Aang asked innocently, though he knew that it wasn't what Zuko meant at all. He wasn't _that_ innocent, but he didn't quite want to acknowledge what he knew was coming. Or maybe he just wanted to tease the older boy into directly saying what he meant. Zuko shook his head, and Aang asked, "Then, in what way do you like me?"

"I don't know how to describe it," the teen frowned, "I've never felt this way about anyone else."

Aang thought on this. He could see that Zuko was getting antsy as he remained quiet, so he eventually said, "I feel the same way, actually."

"You do? Really?" Zuko's eyes lit up like embers in the night... and of course, Aang would be the one to make that analogy...

"Yes. No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," Zuko smiled.

Aang returned the smile with one of his own, and then an awkward silence ensued.

"So..." Aang said, "this entire incident..."

"Stays between the two of us?" Zuko asked, and Aang nodded. "I couldn't agree more."

"So..." Aang began again.

Zuko looked at Aang in askance, "Hmm?"

"We both like each other as 'more than friends'," he said in more of an attempt to wrap his own head around it than to clarify for Zuko.

"Yeah. And?" Zuko raised an eyebrow, wondering where Aang's thoughts were going.

The boy toyed with the comforter pulled over his legs, "Nothing. Just that I never thought the first person I'd like wouldn't be a girl- would be a _boy_. I'm confusing myself."

"Love knows no boundaries?" Zuko tried.

Aang shrugged, "Eh. I suppose it doesn't," he stopped to think before asking, "hey, if we like each other, does that mean things are going to change? Between us, I mean."

"They don't have to."

"Oh..."

Zuko leaned back into his pillow and crossed his arms behind his head, "What are you implying? Do you want things to change?"

"I don't know," Aang said, "I just told you that I've never felt this way before. I don't know what I want."

Aang was hoping that the revelation that had occurred between the two of them wouldn't change things or damage their friendship. Only tomorrow knew what the future might bring.

* * *

**Meh... that was a lame cliffy, but oh well. I'm lame in general, so it works for me. :D**

**This particular chapter was originally going to be longer, but in my sleep haze, I wrote some really idiotic scene that made absolutely no sense, and have since then deleted the entire thing.**

**I must also apologize that I didn't upload this sooner. It could have been uploaded yesterday, but I was quite busy with house cleaning, and thus didn't have much downtime. Again, I apologize.**


	11. Chapter 11

After their crazy night in which it was revealed that Aang liked Zuko, and that Zuko liked Aang, they agreed that it would be for the best if they went back to Republic City. Zuko had reasoned that while he had overreacted, it was important that they went back, because they couldn't run from their troubles forever.

Just kidding. In reality, they'd decided to extend their 'vacation', and continue their road trip. They'd said their farewells to Katara that morning and hit the road promptly afterward. It had been a tight fit jamming all of Aang's new clothes into his messenger bag, but after a good fifteen minutes of forcing the buckle together, they'd managed.

In all honesty, Zuko did want to talk Aang into going back to Republic City, but he understood all too well the fear that Aang was dealing with. Up until a few years ago, he'd been just as scared. The only reason he wasn't anymore was that he'd gotten tired of giving a damn.

So he'd humored Aang when Aang had begged him to extend the vacation. He couldn't turn down those puppy eyes of his. Really, Zuko wanted to run away from his past and the dangers that accompanied it back at Republic City just as much as Aang did, but he knew that it would bite him in the ass eventually. His past, that is.

On the other hand, this was clearly the first taste of true freedom Aang had gotten in his entire life.

A few days later, and they'd managed to drive all the way to the outskirts of the water tribe, where snow covered every inch of the terrain. Zuko hadn't been paying attention to how far they'd gone, or his surroundings in general, so he was now internally cursing himself. Aang was on the back of his Suzuki, huddling closer than ever against Zuko's back for warmth.

By now, he was also internally kicking himself as he pulled his motorcycle over to the side of what couldn't even be considered a road. There was no pavement, or markers to indicate which side they were supposed to be on, and the only indication they were driving in the right spot was the faint tracks from vehicles before them that flattened some of the snow.

Speaking of which, they were currently in the middle of a blizzard.

_Brilliant, Zuko, just brilliant. Instead of making Aang face his parents, how about I just freeze him into an Aangcicle instead?_

"Are you okay back there?" Zuko asked Aang, turning to look back at the shivering boy. Aang's nodding told him one thing, but his chattering teeth said another. Zuko was feeling like a first class moron. "Listen, there's a town up ahead. It's really close. I'm gonna get us there, then we'll find a place to stay until this storm blows over."

Aang's only answer was to nod. Zuko moved Aang so that he was in front on the motorcycle and also gave him his jacket to keep him warmer. Zuko himself would get pretty cold without it, but he'd rather he freezes to near death than Aang.

So when they finally arrived on the native reservation in the southern water tribe area, they were both relieved to find a motel area reserved for tourists on the outskirts.

* * *

"Sorry that I'm such an idiot. My uncle always told me I never think things through before I take action. Instead of thinking of you first, I just drove all the way to the water tribe, and now we're stuck here until the storm out there blows over."

"It's not entirely your fault," Aang giggled, "I didn't stop you. Why don't we just go to bed?"

As he said this, Aang turned around and opened the door to their motel. His jaw dropped.

"There's only...?"

"Yeah, one bed," Zuko affirmed, "I don't know why this keeps happening to us. Do you want me to go request a second one?"

"No, no," Aang smiled, "it's fine. I don't mind sharing a bed with you."

"Really?"

"Keep it up and I'll let you sleep on the floor," Aang taunted.

Zuko squawked indignantly, "You'll _let_ me sleep on the floor?"

Aang smiled.

* * *

**Gomen, gomen! D: I apologize that this chapter is so late and so short. I've been a bit busy/distracted as of late, and (shamelessly) working on another fandom, and also~ it was my birthday today. Haha. Although, I celebrated it three days ago. ^^; Ahh, details. I'll write more for the next chapter, I promise.**

**I'll just need to get my inspiration back!**

**Well, that's it for this chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Haha! For the past few days, my theme song has been Lost in Darkness by Escape the Fate, I swear. Particularly the part where the singer says, "I can't find my inspiration, I can't find my inspiration."**

**I kid you not... But I found it! I'm so full of feels, it's not even funny anymore. D:**

* * *

It was a given that Zuko had ended up sharing the bed with Aang. Aang, for one, found it quite amusing that Zuko even acted reluctant about it, as it had already been established that they liked each other. He blushed as he looked away from the sleeping older teen. Never in his life had he predicted that the first person he'd actually love would be a boy. Not to say that he was complaining.

He breathed in deeply through his nose and released it through his mouth in a huff. Aang really did need to loosen up. He'd been acting so out of character for so long lately, and he found it most unbecoming. A hand tapped the back of his shoulder. He'd rolled over, and away from Zuko a while earlier.

"What are you thinking about?"

Aang rolled onto his back and locked gazes with Zuko, "Nothing important. Just about us."

"Things don't have to be different if you don't want them to," Zuko replied, and though his words said one thing, Aang could see the war behind his eyes just to say that. It was obvious. They both wanted more.

"I have a request," Aang said abruptly. Zuko's brow twitched upward, and he watched Aang patiently with a steady gaze. Aang squirmed under the gaze, but continued, "Do you think that you could... uh... I don't know..."

"That I could what?" he asked.

"I-I was wondering if maybe you could... k-k... ki...ss... me..?"

Zuko stared at him as if he'd just spoken in Greek. In fact, he stared for so long that Aang was beginning to wonder if he had somehow managed to speak in tongues on accident.

"Was that request wrong of me?" Aang asked, feeling troubled by the reaction.

Zuko shook his head, "No. Just a bit straightforward."

"Oh," he murmured.

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked cautiously.

Aang's answer was to nod, his cheeks tinting a rosy pink. Zuko leaned forward, but as he did, Aang began to become wary. As Zuko's face got closer to his own, his heart thumped at a ridiculously fast pace in his chest. He froze up and scrunched his eyes shut, a small wave of fear chilling his body. He started to feel helpless.

"N-n-n..._ No!_"

A pause. Aang realized what he'd done. He started to feel guilty about it. He opened his eyes in shock as he felt the soft contact of Zuko's lips, but not on his mouth. Zuko had kissed his forehead instead.

"Idiot," he murmured, "that's why I asked if you were sure. Don't force yourself," he hugged Aang as he said this, "we've known each other for a long time now, but just because we like each other doesn't mean we have to kiss right now. If you're scared, all you have to do is tell me."

Aang melted into Zuko's embrace as his shoulders shook in tearless sobs, "I'm so sorry."

The rusalka rubbed soothing circles into Aang's back, shushing him, "Shh. You have nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault that you feel this way. Your dad made you this way."

He nodded numbly, "Yeah," but he didn't know whether he meant it or if was just replying unconsciously.

"Hey," Zuko said, gently holding a finger under Aang's chin and lifting his face up, "I'm seriously. None of this is your fault. Absolutely _none_ of this. And I refuse to let him touch you ever again."

That last sentence forced Aang to remember the horrible truth. His father was waiting for him back at Republic City. They couldn't stay away from there forever. They'd eventually run out of money, or Zuko's Suzuki could break down, or what if Zuko finally got tired of Aang's helplessness...? Aang whimpered, "But he's waiting for me. Right now. I'm scared."

It seemed, though, that Zuko remembered, too, "Don't worry about him. I told you I won't let him touch you, and I meant it. Every word."

"But how?"

Aang blushed as Zuko kissed his forehead again, then told him firmly, "Don't worry about it. Leave everything to me."

"When are we going back to Republic City?" Aang asked after a moment of silence.

"Tonight."

Aang wasn't sure how he felt about that.

* * *

By the time they hit the road, Zuko's phone had vibrated three times, indicating that he'd received three text messages. He didn't bother to check his phone, as the only person that ever texted him was Azula. He could really do without hearing from her when he was already trying to keep Aang stable as it was. The last thing he needed was for both of them to be emotionally unstable on the highway on a vehicle that, at its fastest, could go over one hundred and ninety an hour. Zuko was certain that Aang would agree, had he voiced the opinion.

When they got back to Republic City, it was late evening the next day. This time, he'd been sure to have Aang in front of him on the motorcycle, so that the boy could sleep all he wanted. It was a good thing, too, because as they arrived at the entrance of the Jasmine Dragon, Aang was out cold. He brought his motorcycle to a stop and kicked out the kickstand. As he slipped off of it, Aang leaned farther forward and made himself comfortable on the handlebars. He had to smile at how cute the boy was when he was sleeping, but then quickly shook his head as his thoughts moved on to something more perverse.

To ignore the heat in his cheeks, Zuko made himself busy by pulling out his cellphone and checking his messages. Sure enough, there were nine new messages from Azula. They all contained pointless small talk, and he found it odd that she was sending him messaged filled with pointless banter, but then he got to the last message. While the first eight messages were big, and long, and half about her day and half ranting about fashion, the last one was different. There were just three words, and those words more than any other were words he always dreaded hearing. _Father is angry._

Zuko shivered. He pocketed his phone, opting to ignore the problem for now. He'd deal with it later, after he consulted his uncle about it, and until then he didn't want to worry Aang about it. Best not to mull it over.

He leaned over and lightly shook Aang's shoulder, "Hey, Aang," he said gently, "time to wake up, buddy."

The boy rolled his head to the side so that he could gaze groggily up at Zuko, "Mmm... pancakes...?"

"Sure," Zuko laughed, "I'll get Uncle to whip them up right away."

It had taken a long time, but Zuko had convinced Aang that it was okay to eat eggs over the many months they'd known each other. He'd had to (repeatedly) hammer it into the boy's head that no baby chickens were harmed in the making of the eggs his uncle used, and that the hens were from a nearby farm that believed in quality care toward all their animals. He'd also had to coax him into trying them. Aang still didn't want eggs except on select occasions, though. It was progress.

The boy's cheeks flushed as he pouted, jutting out his lower lip, "Don't laugh," he said in his half-sleep haze.

Zuko brushed his hand through Aang's hair, "Alright. I won't. Ready to go inside? It's five in the morning, so Uncle will probably still be asleep."

"But pancakes..."

Picking Aang up from his motorcycle seat, Zuko said, "Don't worry. I'll get you your pancakes. If he doesn't wake up, I'll just have to make them myself."

At the prospect of Zuko cooking something for him, Aang's eyes glowed with mirth, "You'd really do that?"

"Of course I would," Zuko smiled. He nudged the front door open with his foot, and shouldered aside as he carried Aang inside.

Aang didn't seem to mind being carried too awfully much. Zuko wasn't sure whether it was because Aang had grown more comfortable around him, or if it was because he was too sleepy to protest. Perhaps it was a combination of the two.

In the back of the kitchen, there were some plain, but sturdy stairs that led up to the second floor of the Jasmine Dragon. This floor was the living quarters. It was a modest space that didn't have much more than the necessities. Those necessities consisted of two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The back of the top floor around the top of the staircase consisted of a wide open space, and a window that filled the entire back wall of the floor. This allowed anyone who occupied the room to see the ocean outside. It was quite the beautiful view when the sun was setting or rising.

The bedrooms were on the left, the first room being his uncle's, and the second was a guest room. On the right was the bathroom, which was actually a rather large bathroom, despite how modest the rest of the living space was. Iroh did enjoy his relaxing hot baths, after all.

Zuko set Aang down on the floor, and Aang immediately leaned against the wall in a state of drowsiness. With a soft smile, Zuko told him to wait while he tried to wake his uncle up. He stepped inside the room and closed the bedroom door behind him. His uncle's room was perhaps the most modest part of the entire building. Inside the room, there was only a dresser for his clothes and a futon for him to sleep on. Nothing else. The walls were painted a light sea green, but that was the only thing in the room that the old man had truly done to indulge himself.

He could hear his uncle's faint snoring from his futon as he stepped forward, "Uncle," he murmured, "it's me, Zuko."

His uncle sat up at the sound of his voice, wiping his eyes. He blearily looked across the room at his nephew, "Zuko? You're back?"

Zuko nodded, but then realized that his uncle most likely hadn't seen the action, and dumbly replied, "Yes, Uncle."

He held his arms out, "Come give your uncle a hug. I've missed you, Zuko."

He did as his uncle requested and hugged his uncle warmly, then said as they broke from the touching family reunion, "I've brought a friend over with me."

"Aang?"

"I couldn't let him go back home. Not after what he told me."

Zuko could vaguely make out the frown that now marred his uncle's features, "No, you can't do that, nephew. You can't just take a human from its family. What if they don't take him back?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't intend to give him back," Zuko snapped.

He was able to catch the stern look his uncle gave at his temper much more clearly than the frown he'd made moments earlier. Iroh sighed, "You know that's not the point I was making, Zuko. How many times do I need to tell you? He's _human_."

Zuko was at war with himself. He wanted to just blurt out that Aang wasn't human, and that he was actually a spirit walker, but he didn't know if it was information he wanted to part with just yet. He wanted to keep it as his trump card for now.

"His father's abusing him, Uncle."

He could tell that his uncle was pained by this admonishment, but not pained enough, "I'm sorry, Zuko, but that's not a matter we should put our hands into. That's a job for the police to handle."

"For his _entire life_."

"All the more reason to take this to the police instead. We aren't equipped for what might come out of essentially kidnapping a human boy. Do you understand what I'm telling you, Zuko? This is kidnapping!"

Zuko grit his teeth, "No, Uncle. You're the one who isn't understanding. He's been suffering for nearly seventeen years now because of that man. You don't know what he told me, Uncle. That man... that horrible excuse for a human being... he doesn't even deserve to be called a father for what he's been doing to Aang-"

There was a knock at the door, "Hey, Zuko? What's taking so long?" he heard Aang sleepily ask through the door. Speak of the devil.

Zuko fixed his uncle with a pointed look before he turned and walked to the bedroom door. He opened it, "Sorry, Aang. I might be a while. Do you terribly mind taking a nap in the other bedroom for a while? I'll wake you when I'm done."

Aang, bless his poor soul, simply nodded with his half lidded eyes and goofy grin before he walked off to find the other bedroom. Zuko was crossing his fingers and hoping the boy didn't end up walking into the bathroom by mistake and falling into the tub. He turned back around to face his uncle.

"It isn't like a regular domestic violence case, Uncle," Zuko hissed under his breath, "Aang's father, he r-... r-..." _Oh, god, I can't even say it. Why can't I just say that his father raped him?! It's one simple word! _"He ra-..."

Iroh stood from his futon and walked up to Zuko to rest a single hand on Zuko's shoulder, "That's enough, nephew. I can see that this has become personal for you. If you are this serious about this, I will stand beside you."

Zuko nodded thankfully, his face contorted in a pain that wasn't physical, but more from the heart, "Thank you, Uncle."

Iroh hugged his nephew, "No need to thank me, Nephew. I always have thought of you as my second son."

The mention of his deceased son saddened Zuko, but he nonetheless returned his Uncle's hug. After the somewhat emotional breakdown, they headed downstairs to make pancakes. Zuko had informed Iroh of Aang's most likely sleep induced request.


	13. Chapter 13

**Gosh, I've been sitting here for hours trying to decide how to write this chapter. ^^; I apologize if it's not up to par.**

* * *

It was late morning, the day after Aang and Zuko had returned from their adventure The sound of soft, even breathing was heard from a bed in the room. A small figure walked slowly toward the bed, crawled across to where the other was sleeping peacefully.

Aang watched Zuko's face as he slept. He was so calm, so relaxed. The stress that brought a nearly constant frown on his face wasn't visible in this state. The calm was contagious. It soothed Aang just looking at Zuko, and then he leaned down. Slowly, he inched closer, only half registering what he was doing. Then he was kissing Zuko. Not on the forehead, not on the cheek. He was kissing him on the lips.

And as he realized this, he blushed profusely and pulled away, blaming it on the sleep haze. Aang rolled over and prayed that sleep would take him soon.

Unbeknownst to the bashful teen, Zuko's eyes opened as his gaze trailed over to the boy. He did not speak, but simply looked at him with a thoughtful expression. Zuko rolled over, to face the opposite direction of Aang and try to fall back asleep himself.

* * *

In the morning, Iroh was uncomfortably aware of an awkwardness between his nephew and his nephew's best friend. He couldn't for the life of him imagine what could have possibly caused it, because they'd been completely fine around each other at breakfast before they went to sleep. He sighed. Looks like it was his turn to play intermediary again.

Currently, Zuko was taking tables outside the kitchen, and Aang was sitting quietly inside the kitchen, nursing his small cup of tea. It had long since gone cold.

Iroh set a hand on Aang's shoulder, "Aang, what is bothering you?"

Aang looked up, confused from his prior daze, and then his eyes came into focus, "U-uhh. N-n-nothing!" he waved his hands in front of his face, embarrassed. Aang wouldn't want to admit to his friend's uncle that the reason he was so out of sorts is because he kissed that uncle's nephew.

He nodded, expecting that Aang would be secretive about it, "Ah. Well, if you feel the need to talk about it to someone, you may always come to me. I've noticed that you and my nephew are a little distant this morning. You are very important to Zuko, so I'm sure he would be understanding of any problems you may have. Maybe you could talk to him about it."

Now that he'd given Aang something to think about, he left the kitchen to seek out his nephew. Zuko had just finished taking the order from a table and was heading toward the kitchen. Iroh caught him before he could pass.

"Nephew, you do know that you can talk to me about anything, right?" he asked calmly.

Zuko averted his eyes nervously, "Nothing is wrong, Uncle."

Iroh's mouth set into a frown, "I know you better than to just believe that. I'll let you alone until you're ready to talk about it, though. I'll take that order for you."

As Iroh took Zuko's notepad from his hand, Zuko caught his wrist, "Wait, Uncle," he said, his ear reddening in a subdued blush, "what would you say if I told you that I like Aang?"

"It's obvious that you like Aang, Nephew," Iroh replied, perplexed as to what Zuko was getting at.

"No, I mean that I _really like_ Aang. As in I'm in love with him," Zuko felt the need to say.

Iroh didn't even bat an eyelash, "I know."

"O-oh," Zuko stuttered, taken aback.

"What kind of uncle would I be if I didn't notice?" Iroh asked humorously.

This time, Zuko's entire face turned red, and he said again, "Oh."

"Is that all you needed to tell me?"

Zuko started looking away, like he had earlier, "This morning he kissed me."

"Is there something wrong with kissing?"

"Well... he didn't think I was awake when he did it..."

It all started to click in place for Iroh. He gave his nephew's hand a reassuring squeeze and pat his shoulder, "Everything will be alright, Nephew. He will come around when he feels ready. Just be patient and understanding with him, and try not to be so distant as you are. You may know he tried to kiss you, but he doesn't know you know."

Zuko nodded. Iroh could tell he'd taken a great weight off his shoulders.

* * *

**Bah. My inspiration comes and goes. That's for sure.**


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